'The whole world is but one family' - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

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The International Atomic Energy Agency
(IA EA) is “Atoms for Peace” Agency.
Overview of IAEA
The IAEA is a unique organization that stands for
“Atoms for Peace” and fosters the cooperation in the
nuclear field since 1957 within the United Nations
family. The Agency works with its Member States
(Countries around the world) and multiple partners
worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful
nuclear technologies. The IAEA was created in 1957 in
response to the deep fears and expectations resulting
from the discovery of nuclear energy. Its fortunes are
uniquely geared to this controversial technology that
can be used either as a weapon or as a practical and
useful tool. The Statute outlines the three pillars of
the Agency´s work - nuclear verification and security,
safety and technology transfer.
As more countries mastered nuclear technology, the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT) was formulated in 1968. The NPT essentially
freezes the number of declared nuclear weapon States
at five (USA, Russia, UK, France and China). Other
States are required to forswear the nuclear weapons
option and to conclude comprehensive safeguards
agreements with the IAEA on their nuclear materials.
In 1995, the NPT was made permanent and in 1996
the UN General Assembly approved and opened for
signature a comprehensive test ban treaty. While
military nuclear activities were beyond the IAEA´s
statutory scope, it was now accepted that the Agency
might properly deal with some of the problems
bequeathed by the nuclear arms race. In recent years,
the Agency’s work has taken on some urgent added
dimensions. Among them are countermeasures against
the threat of nuclear terrorism, the focus of a new
multi-faceted Agency action plan.
Organizational Profile
The IAEA Secretariat is headquartered at the Vienna
International Centre in Vienna, Austria. Operational
liaison and regional offices are located in Geneva,
New York, Toronto, and Tokyo. The IAEA Secretariat
is a team of 2200 multi-disciplinary professional
and support staff from more than 90 countries. The
Agency is led by Director General Yukiya Amano and
six Deputy Directors General who head the 6 major
IAEA departments: management, nuclear sciences
and applications, nuclear energy, nuclear safety and
security, technical cooperation, and safeguards and
verification. IAEA policy making is formulated by
35-member Board of Governors and the General
Conference of all Member States.
Relationship with United Nations
IAEA´s relationship with the UN is regulated by special
agreement . In terms of its Statute, the IAEA reports
annually to the UN General Assembly and, when
appropriate, to the Security Council regarding noncompliance
by States with their safeguards obligations
as well as on matters relating to international peace
and security. The IAEA´s mission is guided by the
interests and needs of Member States, strategic plans
and the vision embodied in the IAEA Statute. Three
main pillars - or areas of work - underpin the IAEA´s
mission: Safety and Security; Science and Technology;
and Safeguards and Verification. The IAEA is the
world’s nuclear inspectorate, with more than four
decades of verification experience. Inspectors work to
verify that safeguarded nuclear material and activities
are not used for military purposes. The Agency is
additionally responsible for the nuclear file in Iraq
as mandated by the UN Security Council. The IAEA
helps countries to upgrade nuclear safety and security,
and to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Work
is keyed to international conventions, standards and
expert guidance. The main aim is to protect people and
the environment from harmful radiation exposure. The
IAEA helps countries mobilize peaceful applications
of nuclear science and technology.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Publisher & General Editor:
Gambhir Watts
president@bhavanaustralia.org
Editorial Committee:
J Rao Palagummi
Parveen Dahiya
editors@bhavanaustralia.org
Designing Team:
Utkarsh Doshi
J Rao Palagummi
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remain the property of Bhavan
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the owner of the copyright.
Bhavan Australia: - ISSN 1449 – 3551
Cover: Global Harmony
Atoms for Peace 2 Evolution of Cave Temples 39
Backyard Innovations 6 Id-E-Milad 42
World Health Day 8 Mahadevi Verma 44
Kasturba Gandhi 11 Scholar Who discovered Arthashastra 46
Bhim Rao Ambedkar 12
Gandhigiri: Satyagraha after Hundred
Years
Festivals of the Month 14 Indo Aussie Links 51
Cultural Heritage Concept 18 Jaydrath Vadh 52
International Women’s Day 22
Holi Mahotsav 2010: A Report 24
Editorial Page
Office Bearers:
Board of Directors of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia
President Gambhir Watts
Chairman Emeritus
Surendralal Mehta
President, Bhavan Worldwide
Company Secretary Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi
Other Directors:
Abbas Raza Alvi,
Catherine Knox,
Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi,
Moksha Watts,
Homi Navroji Dastur, Executive Secretary and Director General
Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Executive Director, Delhi
Mathoor Krishnamurti, Executive Director, Bangaluru
Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal, Joint Director, Mumbai
Patron: Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha Singh
High Commissioner of India in Australia
Honorary Life Patron: His Excellency M Ganapathi, Currently High
Commissioner of India in Mauritius
(Founder Member/Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia)
Articles & Focus Themes
Mahatma Gandhi: The Sole Hope and
Alternative
48
54

Gambhir Watts
President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia
Presidents Page
Sport: Catalyst of Harmony & Peace
Sport, like music, is sans frontier; it has no religion, no caste, and no language. Or we
may say that sport has its unique universal identity like water, fire, air…
The role of sport in society has been debated for many decades. Sport is a part
of society as both an educational fixture and an entertainment enterprise. Sport
forms part of human and social development; it can contribute to social cohesion,
tolerance and integration and is an effective channel for physical and socio-economic
development. As a universal language, sport can be a powerful medium for social
and economic change: it can be utilized to bridge cultural gaps, resolve conflict and
educate people in ways that very few activities can.
Sport can be a powerful agent for change that should be leveraged by individuals, businesses, governments and
elite athletes to drive significant positive development and progress in a social, economic and political context.
Value of sport: Sport is a means of exchange and understanding among people of various backgrounds,
nationalities or beliefs, and promotes expression beyond traditional barriers. The rules of the game transcend
differences and inequality and help redefine success and performance. Through sport, people identify new role
models in society.
Sport demographics and health: Physical activity has a crucial social impact on society’s health and wellbeing
as well as healthcare costs. A connection also exists between being physically active and living a healthy
lifestyle. But as the Western world grows older, sport must reinvent itself to deal with this demographic shift.
Sport and education: Sport provides not only health benefits for young participants but also instils qualities
such as team work, discipline and a competitive spirit that prove valuable in adulthood. It therefore warrants a
prominent place in the educational system.
Sport and politics: Sport and politics often go hand-in-hand. Events such as football matches and the Olympic
Games can be vehicles for improving understanding between countries.
Sport and economic development: Sport can contribute to economic development by creating additional
sources of income including the manufacture of sporting goods, the development of sportrelated services and
infrastructure or the hosting of sports events. Is government policy needed to elevate the importance of sport?
How much investment can developing countries justify to promote sport, compared to other urgent social
programmes?
International trade in sporting goods: Of concern in the past decade have been the relocation of production
in developing countries, their specialization in the production of low cost sporting products or poor working
conditions in the sporting goods industry – particularly the issue of child labour.
Sport and social entrepreneurship: An opportunity to build sport social entrepreneurship that fuels both social
change and job creation exists. This can be driven primarily through the emerging hybrid of entrepreneurship
and the NGO movement.
Dark side of sport: The increasing monetary and partisan nature of sport means that it can potentially give rise
to violent and illegal activity or transactions that may not be in a community’s interest. Examples
include violence between athletes or spectators, the use of performance enhancing drugs, or the bribery and
ownership of clubs by individuals who are motivated by non-sporting factors.
Inspired by: The World Economic Forum – Summit on the Global Agenda

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Backyard Innovations
Three Idiots, the immensely entertaining
Bollywood movie, was a super-hit. Though
certain sections were impractical, on the whole
the film was enjoyable --- and it also made a very valid
point: the Indian education system encourages rote
learning and puts little premium on actual learning.
The film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, also stressed
on the significance of low-cost, backyard innovations
like the ones that were developed and marketed by
the protagonist of the movie, Rancchoddas ‘Rancho’
Shyamaldas Chanchad aka Phunsukh Wangdu.
To drive home the point about innovations, the film
used low-cost gadgets made by backyard innovators.
The brains behind the innovations in Three Idiots were
Remya Jose, a student from Kerala, who created the
exercise-bicycle-cum-washing-machine, Mohammad
Idris, a barber from Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh,
who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipper, and
Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra, who
made the scooter-powered flour mill.
Even though India’s education system does not
encourage innovators, the country has a thriving
network of backyard innovators. Unfortunately they
get very little support from the government and the
private sector. “In 2000, the total fund available for
the National Innovation Foundation was Rs 1.6 crore.
Ten years down the line, it’s still the same,” says
Prof Anil K Gupta, Executive Vice Chair, National
Innovation Foundation (NIF). The Department of
Science and Technology, Government of India, set
up the Foundation in 2000 for “scouting, spawning,
sustaining and scaling up grassroots green innovations
and helping their transition to self-supporting
activities”. Even though NIF funds have not increased,
the number of innovations has gone up considerably
in the last 10 years. In 2000, NIF had a database of
10,000 innovations; today it has 1,40,000.
- KumKum Dasgupta*
But do we need
these innovations?
Do they serve any
purpose? Prof Gupta,
who also the runs the
Honeybee network
of innovators, says:
“These backyard
i n n o v a t i o n s
are important
for inclusive
d e v e l o p m e n t ,
a f f o r d a b l e
technologies and easy-to-repair products”.
Backyard innovators face myriad problems: first, there
is no research and development support for testing
their products; second, the technology testing fees are
same for individual innovators and private companies;
and third, there is no support for demonstration and
advertisements. “Why can’t public channels like
Doordarshan and All India Radio, both run by the
government, advertise these products,” asks Gupta.
The other problems innovators face are: designing and
product development and capital investment to scale
up their production.
“Under the member of Parliament Local Area

Development Scheme [MPLADS], at least 20 per
cent funds should be dedicated to support the local
innovations for increasing livelihood, generating
entrepreneurship,” added Gupta.
To encourage new innovators, the NIF undertakes
Shodh Yatra’, a journey for the search of knowledge,
creativity and innovations at grassroots. “The
Yatra aims at unearthing traditional knowledge and
grassroots innovations that have not only simplified
the lives of men, women and farm labourers but
have also significantly contributed towards the
conservation of bio-diversity,” explains Gupta.
The Yatra also seeks to compile and disseminate
the knowledge, which is fast disappearing, and
establish a dialogue between the old and new
generations. During the Yatra, certain activities
like night meetings, bio-diversity competition,
recipe competition for the women and felicitation
of creative villagers are taken up.
All these efforts have not been in vain: the NIF
has received a large number of requests from
around the world for various products, either for
technology transfer, non-exclusive marketing/
manufacturing rights or for purchase of the
products. The demand has been overwhelming for
products like Exercising Swing, Milking Machine,
Coconut Tree Climber, Motek Treadle Press and
Garlic peeling Machine.
“The challenge is to get more and more products
developed in modular manner so that the same
product can meet needs of different client
segments with minor modifications,” says Gupta.
Till June 2009, NIF received more than 581
product enquiries, including 126 queries from
abroad. The NIF has succeeded in commercialising
various products in five continents and it has filed
219 patent applications in India and seven patent
applications in the US. Out of these, 33 patents
have been granted in India and five in the US.
Other than these, 15 trademark applications have
been filed, out of which three have been granted
in India.
Gupta says that his mission is to “demonstrate the
potential of knowledge rich, economically poor
people in taking developing societies out of the
morass of mediocrity and lead these onto a path of
sustainable progress”.
A path India would do well to follow.
* KumKum Dasgupta is a Senior Assistant Editor
with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. She is keenly
interested in environment and development
issues.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Each year on April 7th, the world
celebrates World Health Day.
On this day around the globe,
thousands of events mark the importance
of health for productive and happy lives.
What is World Health Day?
In 1948, the World Health Organization
(WHO) held the First World Health
Assembly. The Assembly decided to
celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect
from 1950, as the World Health Day. The
World Health Day is celebrated to create
“awareness of a specific health theme to highlight
a priority area of concern for the World Health
Organization (WHO)”. Over the past 50 years this has
brought to light important health issues such as mental
health, maternal & child care, and climate change.
The celebration is marked by activities which extend
beyond the day itself and serve as an opportunity to
focus worldwide attention on these important aspects
of global health.
World Health Day 2010 Theme: Urban
Health Matters
This year, World Health Day focuses on urbanization
and health, in recognition of the effect urbanization
has on our collective health globally and for us all
individually.
Urbanization: A Challenge for Public Health
Virtually all population growth over the next 30 years
will be in urban areas, signalling that urbanization
is here to stay. It is associated with many health
challenges related to water, environment, violence
and injury, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
and their risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy
diets, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol as
well as the risks associated with disease outbreaks.
Urbanization is a challenge for several reasons. Of the
six WHO Regions, the Western Pacific experiences
the biggest number of natural hazards, and rapid
urbanization increase human vulnerability to disaster.
In many cases, especially in the developing world,
the speed of urbanization has outpaced the ability
of Governments to build essential infrastructure.
Unplanned urbanization can intensify an existing
humanitarian crisis and has consequences for the
health security and safety of all citizens in cities.
• The urban poor suffer disproportionately from a
wide range of diseases and other health problems,
and include an increased risk for violence, chronic
disease, and for some communicable diseases
World Health Day
such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
• The major drivers, or social determinants, of
health in urban settings are beyond the health
sector, including physical infrastructure, access
to social and health services, local governance,
and the distribution of income and educational
opportunities.
• It is estimated that half a billion people live in
informal settlements and slums in Asia. Five out
of six newly poor are in cities. While overall,
the highest densities of urban slums are found
in Africa, the biggest proportion are in the Asia
Pacific.
World Health Day 2010 Campaign:
1000 Cities, 1000 Lives
With the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events
will be organized worldwide. The global goals of the
campaign are:
1000 Cities: to open up public spaces to health,
whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings,
clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets
to motorized vehicles.
1000 Lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health
champions who have taken action and had a significant
impact on health in their cities.
In the Western Pacific Region, “Environmentally
Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transport” (ESHUT) as
one of the approaches to achieve healthy urbanization
is being highlighted. The policy, design and operation
of urban transport systems impact the health and safety
of people through air and noise pollution, greenhouse
gas emissions generated by motor vehicles, road traffic
injuries, exposure to second-hand smoke in confined
public transport systems, and the lack of accessibility
for older people and those with disabilities. Our
overall objective is to promote a win-win strategy for
urban transport system to achieve good urban mobility
that impacts positively on health.

Actions and Solutions
Urban planning can promote healthy behaviours
and safety through investment in active transport,
designing areas to promote physical activity and
passing regulatory controls on tobacco and food
safety. Improving urban living conditions in the areas
of housing, water and sanitation will go a long way to
mitigating health risks. Building inclusive cities that
are accessible and age-friendly will benefit all urban
residents. Such actions do not necessarily require
additional funding, but commitment to redirect
resources to priority interventions, thereby achieving
greater efficiency.
Health is a human right for all citizens. It is the role
and responsibility of individuals, civil society, and
Vijay goes to Vienna
as a Consultant at IA EA.
Vijay has undertaken an assignment
as Consultant with IAEA for 6 months
under Special Services Agreement
under United Nations banner with
diplomatic status. He will be reporting
to the Head of the Nuclear Medicine
Section, the Division of Human
Health and provide technical advice
and support for activities relating to
strengthening global nuclear medicine
practices. He will also be working at the
Department of Nuclear Sciences and
Applications and will be responsible
for implementing activities within the
IAEA’s program on nuclear energy
production, radiation technology and
implement Research & Development
(R&D) projects.
Vijay was head-hunted internationally
amongst the elite group of scientists
in this field and will be expected to establish and
maintain effective working relations with IAEA staff
at all levels, with representatives of the Member States
and with external counterparts and will be expected
to demonstrate ability to interact effectively as part
of an international team to achieve collaboratively
organizational goals.
He will be working in a team of 6 professional and
3 administrative staff with key roles include:(1) as
programme developer and implementer, assisting in
planning and developing the IAEA’s programme in
a specific area of Nuclear Medicine to enable broad
international consensus on the specific issues (eg.
Governments to uphold this principle. Platforms
where municipalities, civil society and individuals
come together must be encouraged to protect the right
to health of current and future generations of urban
dwellers. By bringing multiple sectors of society
together to actively engage in developing policies,
more sustainable health outcomes will be achieved.
We are at a clear turning point in which we are moving
towards an increasingly urbanized world and with it,
the need to embrace the consequences this can have for
health—both the benefits and the challenges. Rather
than look back fifty years from now at what could
have been done, we can take action now to ensure that
growing cities are healthy cities.
Source: www.who.int, www.wpro.who.int,
www.un.org
Uranium). Organize and provide scientific supervision
for technical and consultants meetings aimed at
supporting international research and the exchange
of information. (2) as technical expert, planning and
conducting basic technical review missions aimed
at upgrading capabilities and research in developing
countries to help improve the availability and quality of
radioisotope products for medical applications, as well
as to provide effective technical advice and assistance
to Member States. (3) as technical and project officer,
assisting in the evaluation and implementation of
technical cooperation (TC) projects, and promoting,
coordinating and evaluating complex coordinated
research projects (CRPs). He will co-ordinate with

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
scientific and technical counterparts in Member States
to discuss CRPs and TC projects and assesses the
requirements of Member States. In the process he will
be required to establish and maintain collaborative
relationships with Member State institutions, relevant
sections in WHO (World Health Organization)
and technical/professional societies, e.g. EANM
(European Association of Nuclear Medicine), SRS
(Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences), in order
to increase awareness of the IAEA’s program in
nuclear medicine.
Vijay’s career highlights: foundation for this top job.
Vijay is one of a few scientists in Australia who
has been able to combine medical & Scientific
research with Administration. He was instrumental
in establishing Radiopharmaceutical research in
Nuclear Medicine at Westmead Hospital and The
Children’s hospital at Westmead and currently the
head of Radiopharmaceutical research. He has made
a significant contribution to the development of Basic
Science course and successfully implemented for
the medical curriculum of Association of Physicians
in Nuclear Medicine. He has been given Clinical
Professorial appointments at Sydney Medical School,
Sydney University. He has been actively involved in
the scientific affairs of the Australian & New Zealand
Society of Nuclear Medicine and has been Chairman
of Special interest group in Radiopharmacy (2001-03).
Since 2009Vijay has undertaken the responsibility of
serving as Secretary for IRC (International relationship
committee) for WFNMB (World Federation of Nuclear
Medicine & Bilogy) bid committee. He is a member of
Editorial Board of World Journal of Nuclear Medicine
& Biology. Vijay has been invited to write 2 Chapters
in the leading text book: Nuclear Medicine: In Clinical
Diagnosis and Treatment. Edited by Gambhir & Ell
(3rd Ed). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2004.
Elsevier Science, Martin Mellor Publishing Services,
UK.
Vijay had a humble beginning with IAEA in 1998 as
part of the team conducting the “Regional Training
Course on the assessment of myocardial viability”
for nuclear cardiologists. In the following few years
he has developed 8 different modules to IAEA- DAT
(Distance Assisted Training) Programme in Nuclear
Medicine under Regional cooperative agreement. In
2004 he was invited by IAEA for the first time in
his career to give a Plenary lecture at International
Nuclear Oncology conference in Brazil. He was then
invited by IAEA as a Consultant in May 2005 to write
“International Radiopharmacopeal Monographs”,
which is now being released as “General monograph
for Radiopharmaceuticals”. It is now a working
document on Quality Assurance and Safety: Medicines
Policy and Standards for World Health Organization,
Geneva, Switzerland. He was invited by IAEA as part
of National Consultant mission in 2006 “to design,
formulate and work out details of a Regional project
on Implementation of good manufacturing practices
and good hospital radiopharmacy practices in the
region”.
Vijay was the winner of Nuclear Scientist Award
[ANSTO award (Aust Nucl Sci Org)] in 2007 for his
proven strong track record of successfully undertaking
challenging projects and translating laboratory
research into clinically useful products. His work
on nuclear imaging of arthritis (with radiolabelled
glucosamine) has attracted the attention of British
Society of Nuclear Medicine, and got invitation to
deliver the prestigious guest lecture at their annual
convention in Manchester, 2009. He developed a new
agent for Nuclear Imaging of Infection, which attracted
attention from European Nuclear medicine Society
last year in Barcelona and subsequently got invited to
present at the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine
Conference in Cape Town, South Africa later this year.
His significant contribution at international level and
the recognition is evident from invitations to deliver
14 Plenary guest lectures in the past 4 years from the
leading Nuclear Medicine Society Forums around the
world [eg. British & European Nuclear Med Societies;
World Federation of Nuclear Medicine] culminating
in the current position with IAEA.
Vijay confessed that his time is focused on Scientific
and administrative aspects leaving little time for
Singing, although his heart is throbbing with passion
for music as ever. At the age of 61 he is happy to
announce that he is going to become a grandpa
soon. He always believes the fundamental strength
is his family, the never-failing support from his wife
Shan, which is instrumental to all his success in his
professional career.
- Dr Vijay Kumar, award winning scientist - Australian
Nuclear Scientist for the year 2007.

In the transformation of Mohandas Gandhi
into Mahatma Gandhi, there was one person
who played a very prominent but silent role.
Needless to say, but it was his wife, Kasturba Gandhi
(1869–1944), on whose death after more than sixty
years of life together, Gandhi mourned—“I can’t
imagine a life without Ba. She went away to freedom,
imprinting on the heart to work or to die.” Gandhi,
the apostle of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha
(non-violent resistance) had admitted more than once
that he learned the art and science of Satyagraha from
Kasturba. He felt that her life was an extremely sacred
one. In discharging her duty as a wife she had even
sacrificed her conscience. She never stood in between
him and his sacrifices. Everyone called her Ba in
great respect. “She had assisted me properly in my
observance of celibacy”, Mahatma Gandhi certified in
‘My Experiments with Truth’, his autobiography.
Early Life
Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, the
great leader of Indian Freedom Movement, was born
to a prosperous businessman Gokuladas Makharji
of Porbandar on April 11, 1869. She got married
to Mohandas Gandhi, when she was just thirteen
years old. At the time of her marriage, Kasturba was
illiterate. She had not been given formal education, as
was the custom in conservative families of the period.
The husband taught the wife to read and write in their
mother tongue, Gujarati and she picked up enough
language to go through the daily newspapers. During
the early period of their married life, the husband
insisted that the wife obeyed strictly what all was told
by him to which the wife was not willing to oblige and
this resulted in occasional wrangles between the two.
The Family
When her husband left for London for pursuing
further studies, she remained in India for upbringing
their newly born son Harilal. The couple had three
more sons. Kasturba gave birth to a male child in
1885, but it died soon. They had four more sons—
Hiralal (1896), Manilal (1897), Ramdas (1898), and
Devadas (1900). When Gandhi went to South Africa,
Ba accompanied him with the two kids. They lived in
Durban, South Africa for more than 19 years.
The Ideal Wife
Like a good wife, Kasturba always stood by the side
of her husband, even if she didn’t approve of some of
his ideas. She went along with her husband to South
Africa in the year 1897. From the period between 1904
and 1914, she was actively involved in the Phoenix
Settlement near Durban. In the year 1913, she raised
Kasturba Gandhi
her voice against the inhuman working conditions of
Indians in South Africa. Infact, she was imprisoned
for three months and that too in the jail, where the
prisoners were made to do hard labour. In 1915, she
accompanied her husband and supported the Indigo
planters. There, she taught women and children about
basic concepts like personal hygiene, discipline etc.
Ideal Companion
In 1915 they returned to India. When Gandhi set up
the Satyagrahashram in Sabarmati, Ba was his chief
assistant in running the Ashram. When Gandhi started
the Khadi (handspun cloth) movement, Ba organized
its propaganda. Whenever Gandhi went into a fast
against what he thought was unjust, Ba was with
him. The husband’s goal was the wife’s motto. The
wife was the husband’s shadow, especially when the
husband had been sacrificing his life for the country.
She gave leadership to the women in the Satyagraha
movement and had been jailed many times. The
frequent fastings that Gandhi undertook ate into her
health also and her own internment in prisons added
fuel to this malady. Kasturba Gandhi suffered from
the problem of chronic Bronchitis. To top it, the stress
level caused during the Quit India Movement’s arrests
aggravated her illness. Her health began to decline.
The situation got worse, when she got victimized by
pneumonia. Her husband disagreed with her idea to
go in for penicillin. Medical attention was there but
to no avail; and on 22 February 1944, this great lady
who was the shadow of her husband who became the
Father of the Nation and one of the greatest men of
all times, breathed her last, lying on the lap of her
beloved.
Source: www.iloveindia.com, www.indiavideo.org

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb
Bhim Rao Ambedkar
Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, popularly known as Baba
Saheb Ambedkar, was one of the architects of the
Indian Constitution. He was a well-known politician
and an eminent Jurist. Dr Ambedkar, messiah of dalits
and downtrodden in India was born on April 14,
1891 in Mhow (now Madhya Pradesh). He was the
fourteenth child of Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal. Bhim
Rao Ambedkar belonged to the untouchable Mahar
Caste. His father and grandfather served in the British
Army. In those days, the Government ensured that all
the army personnel and their children were educated
and ran special schools for this purpose. This ensured
good education for Bhim Rao Ambedkar, which would
have otherwise been denied to him by the virtue of his
caste. The life of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar was marked
by struggles but he proved that every hurdle in life
can be surmounted with talent and firm determination.
The biggest barrier in his life was the caste system
adopted by the Hindu society according to which the
family he was born in was considered ‘untouchable’.
While Bhim Rao was an ardent patriot on one hand,
he was the saviour of the oppressed, women and poor
on the other. He fought for them throughout his life.
He was devoted to spreading education and culture
amongst the downtrodden, improving the economic
status and raising matters concerning their problems
in the proper forums to focus attention on them and
finding solutions to the same.
His Life and Caste Discrimination
The problems of the downtrodden were centuries old
and difficult to overcome. Their entry into temples
was forbidden. They could not draw water from
public wells and ponds. Their admission in schools
was prohibited. Bhim Rao Ambedkar experienced
caste discrimination right from the childhood. After
retirement, Bhimrao’s father settled in Maharashtra.
Bhim Rao was enrolled in the local school. Here, he
had to sit on the floor in one corner in the classroom
and teachers would not touch his notebooks. In spite
of these hardships, Bhim Rao continued his studies
and passed his Matriculation examination from
Bombay University with flying colours in 1908. Bhim
Rao Ambedkar joined the Elphinstone College for
further education. In 1912, he graduated in Political
Science and Economics from Bombay University and
got a job in Baroda. In 1913, Bhim Rao Ambedkar
lost his father. In the same year Maharaja of Baroda
awarded scholarship to Bhim Rao Ambedkar and sent
him to America for further studies. Bhim Rao reached
New York in July 1913. For the first time in his life,
Bhim Rao was not demeaned for being a Mahar. He
immersed himself in the studies and attained a degree
in Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy from
Columbia University in 1916 for his thesis “National
Dividend for India: A Historical and Analytical
Study.” From America, Dr Ambedkar proceeded to
London to study Economics and Political Science. But
the Baroda Government terminated his scholarship
and recalled him back. The Maharaja of Baroda
appointed Dr Ambedkar as his Political Secretary, but
no one would take orders from him because he was a
Mahar. Bhim Rao returned to Bombay in November
1917. With the help of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur,
a sympathizer of the cause for the upliftment of the
depressed classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper,
the “Mooknayak” (Dumb Hero) on January 31, 1920.
The Maharaja also convened many meetings and
conferences of the “untouchables” which Bhim Rao
addressed. In September 1920, after accumulating
sufficient funds, Ambedkar went back to London to
complete his studies. He became a Barrister and got a
Doctorate in Science. After completing his studies in
London, Ambedkar returned to India.
Works for the Dalits
In July 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkaraini
Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association). The aim of

the Sabha was to uplift the downtrodden socially
and politically and bring them to the level of the
others in the Indian society. In 1927, he led the
Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near
Mumbai, to give the untouchables the right to draw
water from the public tank where he burnt copies of
the ‘Manusmriti’ publicly. In 1929, Ambedkar made
the controversial decision to co-operate with the all-
British Simon Commission which was to look into
setting up a responsible Indian Government in India.
The Congress decided to boycott the Commission
and drafted its own version of a constitution for free
India. The Congress version had no provisions for the
depressed classes. Ambedkar became more skeptical
of the Congress’s commitment to safeguard the rights
of the depressed classes. When a separate electorate
was announced for the depressed classes under Ramsay
McDonald ‘Communal Award’, Gandhiji went on a
fast unto death against this decision. Leaders rushed
to Dr Ambedkar to drop his demand. On September
24, 1932, Dr Ambedkar and Gandhiji reached an
understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact.
According to the pact the separate electorate demand
was replaced with special concessions like reserved
seats in the regional legislative assemblies and Central
Council of States. Dr Ambedkar attended all the three
Round Table Conferences in London and forcefully
argued for the welfare of the “untouchables”. He
exhorted the downtrodden sections to raise their
living standards and to acquire as much political
power as possible. He was of the view that there was
no future for untouchables in the Hindu religion and
they should change their religion if need be. In 1935,
he publicly proclaimed, “I was born a Hindu because
I had no control over this but I shall not die a Hindu”.
In 1937, Dr Ambedkar introduced a Bill to abolish the
“Khoti” system of land tenure in the Konkan region,
the serfdom of agricultural tenants and the Mahar
“watan” system of working for the Government as
slaves.
Architect of Indian Constitution
In 1947, when India became independent, the first
Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, invited Dr Bhim
Rao Ambedkar, who had been elected as a Member
of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, to join his
Cabinet as a Law Minister. The Constituent Assembly
entrusted the job of drafting the Constitution to a
Committee and Dr Ambedkar was elected as Chairman
of this Drafting Committee. While he was busy with
drafting the Constitution, India faced several crises.
The country saw Partition and Mahatma Gandhi was
assassinated. In the beginning of 1948, Dr Ambedkar
completed the draft of the Constitution and presented
it in the Constituent Assembly. In November 1949,
this draft was adopted with very few amendments.
Many provisions had been made in the Constitution to
ensure social justice for scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes and backward classes. Dr Ambedkar was of
the opinion that traditional religious values should
be given up and new ideas adopted. He laid special
emphasis on dignity, unity, freedom and rights for all
citizens as enshrined in the Constitution. Ambedkar
advocated democracy in every field: social, economic
and political. For him Social Justice meant maximum
happiness to the maximum number of people.
Bharat Ratna
Dr Ambedkar’s patriotism started with the upliftment
of the downtrodden and the poor. He fought for their
equality and rights. His ideas about patriotism were
not only confined to the abolition of colonialism, but
he also wanted freedom for every individual. For him
freedom without equality, democracy and equality
without freedom could lead to absolute dictatorship.
In 1990, Dr Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of Indian
Constitution, was bestowed with Bharat Ratna. The
same year Dr Ambedkar’s life size portrait was also
unveiled in the Central Hall of Parliament. The period
from 14th April 1990–14th April 1991 was observed as
‘Year of Social Justice’ in the memory of Babasaheb,
the Champion of the poor and the downtrodden.
Conversion to Buddhism
In 1950, Ambedkar travelled to Sri Lanka to attend
a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. After
his return he decided to write a book on Buddhism
and soon, converted himself to Buddhism. In his
speeches, Ambedkar lambasted the Hindu rituals
and caste division. Ambedkar founded the Bharatiya
Bauddha Mahasabha. His book “The Buddha and His
Dhamma” was published posthumously. On October
14, 1956 Ambedkar organized a public ceremony
to convert around five lakh of his supporters into
Buddhism. Ambedkar travelled to Kathmandu to
attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference. He
completed his final manuscript, “The Buddha or Karl
Marx” on December 2, 1956.
Final Days
Dr Ambedkar was suffering from serious health
problems including diabetes and weak eyesight. On
December 6, 1956, Baba Saheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar
died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Delhi.
Ambedkar had adopted Buddhism as his religion so a
Buddhist-style cremation was organized for him. The
ceremony was attended by hundreds of thousands of
supporters, activists and admirers.
Source: www.iloveindia.com, http://ambedkarfoundation.nic.in,
www.4to40.com, www.culturalindia.net

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Ram Navami
Festivals of the Month
The birth anniversary of Lord Rama is known as Ram
Navami. It is celebrated in the month of Chaitra,
which usually falls in March or April according to the
Hindu calendar. This year Ram Navami falls on 3rd
April. Ramnavami is dedicated to the memory of Lord
Rama. It occurs on the ninth day (Navami). The festival
commemorates the birth of Rama who is remembered
for his prosperous and righteous reign. Ramrajya (the
reign of Rama) has become synonymous with a period
of peace and prosperity.
Celebrations
It is celebrated with great devotion across the nation
and every region has its own regional significance
behind the celebration. The public worship starts with
morning ablutions, chanting Vedic Mantras dedicated
to Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to the God.
People keep a fast throughout the day, breaking it
only at midnight with fruits. In some parts of India,
especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, public gatherings
called Satsangs are organised to commemorate the
birth of Rama. The pilgrims flock the temples of
Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, where Rama was born and
participate in Ramnavami festivities. Excerpts from
the Ramacharitamanas are recited on the occasion.
Ram Leela (the play depicting the major life events of
Rama) are organized in different parts of the country.
The highlights of the festival are these Ram Leela
and colourful processions with brilliant floats of
Rama. His consort Sita, brother Lakshmana and the
*Parveen
great devotee Hanuman are taken out in the streets of
different states. People visit sacred places associated
with Lord Ram during this holy time. Places like
Ayodhya, Ujjain and Rameshwaram, attract thousands
of devotees across the country.
Hanuman Jayanti
In Hindu Mythology,
Hanuman is regarded
as the God of
power, strength and
knowledge. He is
known as the ‘Param
Bhakt’ of Lord Rama
and is the incarnation
of Lord Shiva. He
was born to Kesari
and Anjani on the
Chaitra Shukla
Purnima (Chaitra
Shukla Purnima is
the Full Moon Day on
the Hindu Calendar
Month of Chaitra) that is why, he is known as ‘Kesari
Nandan’ and ‘Anjaneya’. The philosophy of epic
Ramayana is incomplete without the understanding of
the unfathomable devotion of Lord Hanuman for Shri
Rama. Hindu Mythology says, He is the incarnation
of Lord Shiva the God of Destruction, the Third God
of Hindu trinity. Lord Hanuman is regarded as the
son of Hindu Deity ‘Vayu’ (the wind). He was taken
by ‘Vayu’ to Lord Sun to gain Vedic, Shastra’s and
moral knowledge. He gained His whole knowledge
from Lord Sun, as He was considered as omniscient
on the planet earth. As per the mythology, Hanuman is
invincible and blessed to be immortal. The supremacy
possessed by Him is very beautifully described in
Ramayana, during the Ramayana war of Lord Rama
against the mighty Ravana. The Sundara Kanda, the
fifth book in the Ramayana, focuses mainly on the
adventures of Hanuman.
Celebrations
This holy day starts with rituals mainly performed in
Hanuman Temples. This year Hanuman Jayanti falls
on 9th April. People visit temples to perform rituals
and there they attend Bhajans, Satsangas and read
out aloud ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. They also spend the
entire day reciting certain ‘Japa’ of Ram, Hanuman.
Hanuman’s birth is an auspicious day for the entire
Hindu community as they mark their gratitude for

Lord Hanuman and regard Him as the God of strength
and numerous people along with their families visit
temples to mark homage to Lord Hanuman on this
very festival. The celebrations are held at the world
famous Salasar and Mehndipur Temples in Rajasthan.
Lakhs of devotees come from all over to offer their
prayers to Lord Hanuman. A specially prepared Bhoga
or Prasad which is known as Churma is offered to
Lord Hanuman on this day. At many places specially
made chariots are taken out in procession by Bhajans
chanting groups.
Hanuman Chalisa
In Hindu mythology the described bravery and
prowess of Lord Hanuman is trusted and worshipped
by the Hindus with the recitation of the couplets of
Hanuman Chalisa. It is considered to be one of the
top most couplets ever written to scare away the evil.
Baisakhi
Baisakhi is a seasonal festival with a special accent.
It is celebrated on the first of Baisakh. This is the
time when harvest is gathered in and the farmer exults
in the fulfillment of his year’s hard work. He joins
the merry-making with full gusto and does not mind
walking for miles to be able to do so. Since this fair is
also an expression of prosperity, singing and dancing
constitute its most enchanting features. Punjab’s
famous Bhangra and Giddha are inextricably linked
with this festival. Many fairs in Punjab are held near
the tombs and shrines of Pirs. These fairs must have
originated in a spirit of devotion to those saints and
sages. The most famous among such fairs are the
Chhapar fair, the Jarag fair, and the Roshni fair of
Jagranyan. Baisakhi marks the beginning of New
Year, particularly in the northern part of India. It is
among the few Indian festivals that have a fixed date.
Baisakhi is always on April 13th. In Kerala, Baisakhi
is called as “Vishu” and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated
as “Puthandu”. Considered a holy day, the devout
celebrate Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just
around the break of dawn. It is on this day that Sun
enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies
ushering of the New Year. In Punjab (the land of Green
Revolution) particularly and in the northern belt of
India in general, farmers perform their own prayers
and rejoice. On this day, they commence cutting their
harvest. The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty.
Celebrations
Dressed in their typical folk attire, both men and
women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda.
Sweets are distributed, old enmities are forgiven and
life is full of joy, merriment and everyone seems to
enjoy. These are the main reasons for celebrating
Baisakhi. Baisakhi, however, has had a new dimension
added to it by Guru Gobind Singh. For it was on the
day of Baisakhi in 1669, that he established the Khalsa
Panth and gave a final impetus to the course of the
earlier nine Gurus of Sikhism. For the Sikhs the day
is a collective celebration of New Year along with the
commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth
(Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
It also signifies the end of harvest of the main crop.
During Baisakhi the farmers give ‘thanks’ to the Lord
Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop
the next year. Baisakhi involves a lot of socialising
where friends and relatives are invited and delicious
meals are served. The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth
Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’
(five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original
leaders. The occasion is celebrated with great gusto
at Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed
for nine months and completed the re-compilation of
the Guru Granth Sahib and in the Golden temple in
Amritsar. On Baisakhi day, water is drawn from all
the sacred rivers of India and poured into the huge
tank surrounding the golden temple.
Mahavir Jayanti
Mahavir Jayanti is regarded as the main Jain festival
of the year. The festival is celebrated in India to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira.
This year Mahavir Jayanti falls on 7th April. According
to the Digambar School of Jainism, Lord Mahavira
was born in the year 615 BC, but the Swetambaras
believe that He was born in 599 BC. But both the
sects believe that Mahavira was the son of Siddhartha
and Trisala. According to the legend, Devananda,
wife of a Brahmin named Rishabhdeva, conceived
him. The Gods, ingeniously, transferred the embryo
to the womb of Trisala. According to Swetambara
sect the expectant mother was believed to have seen
14 auspicious dreams. And according to Digambara
sect it was 16 dreams. The Astrologers interpreted
these dreams, stated that the child would be either an
Emperor or a Teerthankar.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Celebrations
Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated during the Hindu
lunar month of Chaitra and the festivities last for
one day. Mahavir Jayanti occurs on the thirteenth
day of Chaitra, right around the time of the full
moon. Chaitra is equivalent to the months of March
and April. The entire Jain community throughout
the country celebrates Mahavir Jayanti. On this
auspicious day, grand chariot processions with the
images of Mahavira are taken out, rich ceremonies are
held in the temples, fasts and charities are observed,
The Jains observe religious events on this day. They
visit the sacred sites and worship the Teerthankars
on this day. The event holds special significance in
Gujarat and Rajasthan due to the ancient shrines at
Girnar and Palitana. In Kolkata too, this festival is
celebrated with great fervour at the Parasnath temple.
Even at Pawapuri in Bihar Mahavir Jayanti holds a
special significance.
His Teachings
Lord Mahavir was a great teacher. His philosophies
and teachings taught mankind the true path of
happiness. His teachings on complete non-violence
and importance of austerity showed us the path to
achieve salvation and spirituality. The religion of
Jainism does not believe in God as a creator, survivor,
and destroyer of the universe. Jainism explains that
eight types of Vargana and five bodies exist in the
universe. The spiritual power and moral grandeur of
His teachings impressed the masses greatly. He made
religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual
complexities. His teachings reflected the popular
impulse towards internal beauty and harmony of the
soul. He did not believe in grandeur and elaborate
rituals. According to Mahavir, attachment to material
objects is the primary cause of bondage and is also
the cause for greed and jealousy. According to the
Jain dharma, the goal of life is to attain liberation.
The Jain scripture, Jain Agamas Siddhantas, preaches
the doctrine of Ahimsa or non-violence. According
to this doctrine, all objects have a soul, and should
not be hurt or killed. His main teachings involve that
it was the greatest sin to cause injury to creatures,
and that it was the greatest virtue to renounce
worldly possessions and practice strict asceticism.
Orthodox Jains could not even take to farming,
because it involved tilling which killed earthworms.
His message of non-violence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya),
non-stealing (Achaurya), celibacy (Brahmacharya),
and non-possession (Aparigraha) is full of universal
compassion.
Good Friday
Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ
was crucified. Jesus Christ was born to Marry in
Nezareth—a small town in Israel. He was the founder
of Christianity, one of the world’s largest religions.
Christ is believed to be an incarnation of God. It is
believed that on Good Friday, Christ was arrested by
clergymen. Some people believe that ‘Good’ in Good
Friday is referred to as ‘God’ and it is also a common
belief that ‘Good’ is referred to the gift brought by
martyrdom. And according to one of the views, on
this day, it is Jesus who went to heaven. It is also
celebrated as a festival of life and spirit. Some believe
the term “Good” evolved from “God” or God’s Friday.
Good Friday this year is on 10th April.

History
Jesus Christ had certain kind of spark or glow on
his face at the time of his birth. But many priests
including Judas and Jewish community found him
guilty as they thought that his teachings according to
them were spreading revolutionary changes and riots
in their people. Moreover, they built a conspiracy/plot
against him in which they planned to hatch Christ.
After plotting against him, they started putting up
charges against him for motivating people not to pay
taxes to their King and by claiming these charges in
front of the Governor they arrested him and he was
produced in front of the Roman Governor to prove
his innocence. But as the luck was on his side, Roman
Governor didn’t found anything wrong in his teachings
and gave him a clean chit. But these people tried hard
and finally proved that his teachings were wrong,
motivating crime and were bringing revolutionary
changes in the society. Eventually, Christ was handed
over to Jewish and Judas communities. After Christ’s
possession they took him for crucifixion. He was
brutally killed by his opponents as they made him
wear crown of thorns and on the huge wooden cross
he was hanged and was addressed by the crowd as
‘King of Jews’ which were following him. With him
there were two other criminals who died on the same
day. After three hours of nailing down and suffering
he died. But before death he prayed his last wish to
God that; please God forgive the sinners who planned
the conspiracy against me as they don’t know that
by killing him what size of sin they have performed.
Hence, till today on Good Friday a cross is unveiled
in churches world over and Christians.
Celebrations
The Good Friday celebration starts by kissing a plank
of wood depicted on the cross of Christ. After this
ritual people perform other practices where narratives
read out four gospels from the holy book and later
general communion service is performed at midnight
after which a burial takes place. On Good Friday
particularly, the bells of the church remains silent
(which rather on other days doesn’t) because this day
is marked as a Sad Day for Christians.
Easter
Easter is another important festival for Christians.
On this day Jesus Christ rose from the dead and
ascended into heaven. Easter eggs and Easter bunnies
are a major attraction during Easter, the festival of
rejuvenation of life and living. Easter falls on 12th
April. In the days of the early Christian church, only
Easter Sunday was celebrated as a holy day. By the
fourth century, each day of the week preceding Easter
was established as holy days including Good Friday.
To most Christians, Good Friday is really a misnomer
in that it was a “bad” Friday—the crucifixion day
of Jesus. Some believe the term “Good” evolved
from “God” or God’s Friday. Others believe “Good”
represents the good gift of salvation brought forth by
the martyrdom. Regardless, it is a holy day throughout
the Christian world. Ceremonial worship of the
holiday follows closely to the events described in the
scriptures. Some congregations still hold a three-hour
service on Friday representing the three hours He
hanged on the cross. A typical service includes seven
distinct elements representative of Christ’s seven
utterances while on the cross. Originally known as
‘God’s Friday’, the present expression is believed to
have emerged in the 10th or 11th century. According
to Christian legend, Jesus Christ was from Nazareth,
a town in modern Israel. A well-loved and respected
citizen, he was considered by many to be the Son of
God.
Celebrations
People gather in churches to listen to mass and
participate in the Way of the Cross. Priests narrate
the sufferings that Jesus Christ took upon himself for
the sake of humanity. After the mass, the crucifix,
which until this time has been kept away from view,
is now uncovered before the crowd for veneration. A
very somber ceremony, “the Way of the Cross” is a
re-enactment of the path Jesus took on Mount Calvary
before the Crucifixion.
*Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Source: www.festivalsinindia.net, www.festivalsofindia.in

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Cultural Heritage Concept
The eminent Indian Jurist, Late N.A. Palkhivala
says, ‘It has been my long standing conviction
that India is like a donkey carrying a load of
gold. The donkey does not know what it is carrying;
but it goes along with the load on its back. This is the
situation in our country today. We do not realise the
load of gold we have inherited—The Indian Culture’.
This priceless heritage has been ours over the
centuries. Yet very few people talk about it; few still
are concerned with living their lives according to the
great lessons imparted by our forefathers; few dwelve
on it; people even seem to feel shy and embarrassed
to talk about it since they feel shy to confess that they
believe in Indian Culture and Spiritual and Moral
Values. A statement of fact.
What is meant by Culture? The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) sponsored Book “Traditional Cultures
in South East Asia” gives the following definition:
“Culture means the sum total accumulation of objects,
ideas, symbols, beliefs, sentiments, values and
social reforms which are passed on from one generation
to another in any given society”. This appears to be an
acceptable definition.
Culture differs from civilisation though sometimes
they tend to overlap. The former is essentially spiritual
while the latter is more materialistic. The basis of any
religion—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism etc., forms
the basis of culture. Hinduism gives Indian Culture its
special characteristic. One culture may be more spiritual
than another but it is the philosophies of religions
that mould our lives. Both culture and civilisation are
heritages. In both, the past unconsciously merges into
the present and is carried into the future. Civilisation
refers to the conditions dealing with the welfare of the
community while culture relates to the ideas cherished
in a society. A civilised state need not necessarily be a
cultured state and vice versa.
A broader definition of culture today, includes the
five arts; music, dancing, painting, sculpture and
architecture. Thus culture also includes the love
of arts and we find that right from ancient times,
our forefathers were interested in all these aspects
defining culture.
History tells us that the civilisation and culture of
Egypt, Babylonia, Greece etc., flourished for many
years and was finally lost. The study of Indian Culture
is of special significance since it is a living factor of
the lives of 1/7th of the human race. It has withstood
the onslaught of invasions and is fascinating as a field
of study.
-J. Thuljaram Rao*
Any treatise on culture will have to deal with History
and Geography as well. Mother India has been created
by nature as a natural geographical unit bounded in
the north by the mighty Himalayan ranges and on
three sides by the seas—the Arabian Sea in the West,
the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian Ocean
in the South. The Vindhya mountains separates the
northern plains from the Deccan Plateau, forming a
natural boundary.
The Himalayan range covers a height of 3000
metres with lofty peaks of more than 7000 metres.
There are passes in the mountains and Historians say
that the Indo-Aryans came down from the Steppes
of Central Asia through the passes, to settle in the
northern plains and from there began the Indian
Culture. From the point of rivers, India is perhaps
the most gifted nation in the world. The three mighty
rivers—the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra all arise
from the Himalayas. The Indus pours itself into the
Arabian Sea and the other two rivers into the Bay of
Bengal. The Ganges is the holy river held sacred by
the Hindus. Yet it is the Indus river that is closely
associated with Indian History, to begin with, since it
is the mighty river one comes across on entry from the
western side. The Punjab gets its name of “the land
of five rivers” from the five tributaries of Indus—
Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. It is suggested
that India owes its name to the river Indus. The Vedic
Aryans called the river Indus, Sindhu. Their Iranian
cousins changed this to Hindu and the country came to
be known as Hindustan. The Greeks changed the name
to Indus. Indus has remained the name of the river and
the country became India. Bharat is the name derived
from the sage Bharatha Muni.

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has published in eleven
bulky volumes “The History and Culture of Indian
People” involving work by 60 Historians and Scholars,
with Dr R.C. Majumdar as the Chief Editor. It took
32 years to complete the eleven volumes. The first
volume deals with “The Vedic Age” and gives an idea
of the evolution of common Indian Culture 5000 years
ago. To quote from the book “We have the Nordic
Aryan speaking group of India, who gave to India its
Aryan speech and by their organisation, imagination
and adaptability helped to bring about a great Cultural
Synthesis leading to the foundation of the Hindu
Civilisation of India. The antiquity of Indian History
and Culture as gleaned from Vedic Literature is also
not supposed to go beyond the second millennium
before Christ. But the archaeological discoveries at
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and other localities in the
Indus valley have pushed back this limit at a single
stretch to 3000 BC, if not to a still remoter period and
India can now claim the honour of being a pioneer
of civilisation along with Sumer, Akkad, Babylon,
Egypt and Assyria.”
The real visible culture started with the Indus
Civilisation as seen from the excavations of
MohenjoDaro and Harappa. Some of the tanks 5000
years old are still preserved. The culture of writing
was invented by the Indus people. Agriculture had
developed with evidence of specimens of wheat and
barley. Female statues were common representing the
Divine Mother similar to the Indian religious tradition.
“Thus this prehistoric culture (3250–2750 BC) mainly
as indigenous growth is the linear progenitor of the
Indian Culture of today”.
The Indus culture preceded the Rig Vedic Culture and
there are references in Rig Veda to the non Aryans.
Opinion is gaining ground that this Indus culture
and civilisation is the earliest in the world. This is
suggested by scientific research in plant breeding in
wheat. The Indian people had initiated growth of food
crops through agriculture.
In the recent publication “The invasion that never
was” by Michel Danino, the Author has questioned
whether there was any Aryan invasion at all
or immigration. The Author contends that “the ancient
Indian civilisation was in fact the Indus, Saraswathi
civilisation of Aryavartha and it began as a pastoral
civilisation around 6500 or 6000 BC and then entered
a matured phase around 2600 to 1900 BC”. The
occurrence of the word ‘Krishna has been wrongly
used by the Aryan Race theorists to conjecturally
advance the theory of, invading Aryans annihilating
indigenous and earlier dark-skinned inhabitants of
India; of the dark skinned people being forefathers of
the so called non Aryan Dravidians who were pushed
south from their earlier northern abodes, of the
so called invading Aryans burning the cities and
villages of indigenous people and of the inhuman
cruelty with which these so called invading Aryans
treated the original inhabitants of India” Ladli Nath
Renu ‘Aryan Cult : No Aryan Race’. Ladli Nath Renu
(2000) was passionate about research into the Vedas
with particular reference to Aryan origin. Based on
intensive research on Rig Veda, Nath came to the
conclusion that there is no Aryan race. There is only
the Aryan Cult which originated in India with the
sound of OM.
It spread all over the country and abroad. Its
followers were called Aryans.
From 650 BC there is political history as separate
from cultural history. Indian Culture seems to have
got mixed up with political culture, through political
history involving the Mauryas, Kushanas, Guptas etc.
in the north and the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and
Cheras in the South. Later history tells us about the
Muslim invasions and the British rule. It was only
once in the cultural history of the country that the
whole of India including the present Baluchistan and
Afghanistan had a common history and culture
under the control of a common Government, the
Mauryan empire under Ashoka. In the sixth century,
Buddhism and Jainism added a new dimension to
Indian culture.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
During the Muslim rule and the British regime, our
culture sustained itself and though there have been
peripheral adjustments, the core has withstood the
onslaughts.
Since independence, there has been an erosion in
culture in terms of moral values. Suffice to say that
the country has been enveloped in cultural crisis in
the garb of materialistic development of the country.
There is a misconception in the western world that
Indian culture is other worldly and has nothing to
contribute in this materialistic, scientific age. A deep
analysis of this statement reveals that the people of
India always had a healthy materialistic view of life
with the ideal of a happy blending of Artha (wealth),
Kama (love and affection) with Dharma as the guiding
principle.
A materialistic culture marks the first appearance
of Indians. The spirit of modern science is not
different from our cultural heritage. Our heritage
and modern science are quite compatible. Centuries
before his birth, Pythagoras’ theorems were known
to Indians. The two rules contained in the theorems
are parts of Sulva Sutras of the 8th Century. It is to
the credit of India that the world owes its decimal
notation. The names Aryabhatta the Astronomer and
the Mathematician Bhaskaracharya are well known.
Aryabhatta was the first to discover the rotation of
the earth on its own axis. All this go to prove that
our ancients were scientific minded. Whenever they
had leisure they spent the hours in the higher plane of
man’s inner life, thus giving rise to the second aspect
of culture namely, mental culture. To quote Swami
Ranganathananda “Indian Culture in its long career
has experimented with life in its diverse aspects and
levels. It has not neglected any of the values of life, but
has concentrated more on some than on others”.
The essential features of our culture are;
1) Spiritualism; 2) Divine Nature of Man; 3)
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam;
4) Fearlessness; 5) Tolerance; 6) Truth;
7) Karma Yoga; 8) Bakthi Yoga; 9) Character (Values).
Never before in all history have the cultural values
become a greater challenge than today.
A healthy cultural tradition and a make adjustable,
Science can go together. A balanced adjustment of the
twin aspects, materialism (Science and Technology)
and the spiritual side is necessary.
Science and Technology are bound to affect
profoundly, our culture and tradition. We must
ensure that only the peripheral aspects are affected
and the central core remains intact. Science must be
combined with traditional spiritualism and cultural
aspects. People should be encouraged to appreciate
our national cultural heritage. The younger generation
must be trained to appreciate values to enable them to
live in peace and harmony, with each other and nature.
*Well known Agricultural Scientist, Dr J. Thuljaram
Rao, was connected with the world renowned
Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. With
specialisation in Plant Breeding and Genetics,
Dr Rao was responsible for evolving improved
sugarcane varieties (Co) which are in cultivation in
the country and abroad. He was associated with the
United Nations as Advisor in Egypt for developing
Sugarcane Breeding. He revolutionised the breeding
work in Egypt.
He was associated with The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
at Coimbatore as Honorary Vice Chairman for a
period of 22 years till 2003. During the 22 years, Dr
Rao had the unique opportunity to read the Bhavan’s
Journal from 1956 for the last 50 years (which is the
store house of the History of Indian Culture) covering
over 300 issues and books and understand the history’
of the culture of the country from Rig Vedic times to
the present day with its ups and downs in relation to
social conditions.
Source: Cultural Heritage of India, pp. 1–11,
Impress, Coimbatore.

Legend
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is the
story of ordinary women as makers of
history; it is rooted in the centuriesold
struggle of women to participate
in society on an equal footing with
men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata
initiated a sexual strike against
men in order to end war; during
the French Revolution, Parisian
women calling for “liberty, equality,
fraternity” marched on Versailles
to demand women’s suffrage. The
idea of an International Women’s
Day first arose at the turn of the
century, which in the industrialized
world was a period of expansion
and turbulence, booming population
growth and radical ideologies.
The Origin
The history of International
Women’s Day is a history of taking
action. The event originated in
1908 when women garment makers
in New York demonstrated to
demand better working conditions. They worked in
appalling conditions, earned half of men’s wages,
died prematurely from poor health and didn’t have the
right to vote. 1909 was the year when in accordance
with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America,
the first National Women’s Day was observed across
the United States on 28 February. Women continued to
celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through
1913.
The History
In 1910, the Socialist International meeting in
Copenhagen established a Women’s Day, international
in character, to honour the movement for women’s
rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for
women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous
approval by the conference of over 100 women
from 17 countries, which included the first three
women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed
date was selected for the observance. Inspired by an
American commemoration of working women, the
German socialist Klara Zetkin organized International
Women’s Day (IWD) in 1911. On March 19, socialists
from Germany, Austria, Denmark and other European
countries held strikes and marches. In addition to the
right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded
the right to work, to vocational training and to an end
to discrimination on the job. Less than a week later,
on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York
City took the lives of more than 140 working girls,
most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This
event had a significant impact on labour legislation in
the United States, and the working conditions leading
up to the disasters were invoked during subsequent
observances of International Women’s Day.
Women during World War
As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve
of World War I, Russian women observed their first
International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in
February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around
8 March of the following year, women held rallies
either to protest the war or to express solidarity with
their sisters. With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in
the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday
in February to strike for “bread and peace”. Political
leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the
women went on anyway. The rest is history: Four
days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the
provisional Government granted women the right to
vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the
Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March
on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Since those early years, International Women’s Day
has assumed a new global dimension for women in
developed and developing countries alike. The growing
international women’s movement, which has been
strengthened by four global United Nations women’s
conferences, has helped make the commemoration
a rallying point for coordinated efforts to demand
women’s rights and participation in the political
and economic process. Increasingly, International
Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made,
to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and
determination by ordinary women who have played
an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights.
The United Nations for Advancement
of Women
International Women’s Day was created to inspire
women throughout the world to work towards equality.
The Day is commemorated at the United Nations and
celebrated in nations around the globe. Few causes
promoted by the United Nations have generated more
intense and widespread support than the campaign to
promote and protect the equal rights of women. The
Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco
in 1945, was the first international agreement to
proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human
right. Since then, the Organization has helped
create a historic legacy of internationally agreed
strategies, standards, programmes and goals to
advance the status of women worldwide. Over the
years, United Nations action for the advancement of
women has taken four clear directions: promotion of
legal measures; mobilization of public opinion and
international action; training and research, including
the compilation of gender desegregated statistics; and
direct assistance to disadvantaged groups. Today a
central organizing principle of the work of the United
Nations is that no enduring solution to society’s most
threatening social, economic and political problems
can be found without the full participation, and the
full empowerment, of the world’s women.
Women’s Day in India
In a country like India where society is marred by
heinous crimes against women, the International
Women’s Day holds special significance. In India
too therefore, Women’s Day is celebrated with great
fervour. Several women’s organisations, NGO’s
students and social activists participate actively
by organising seminars, mass rallies, movie and
documentary shows, staging of gender sensitive plays,
theatre and so on. Several government and civil society
initiatives like girl child education, reservation of seats
in local Panchayats, etc have led to empowering the
Indian woman today. However much more still needs
to be addressed to make women equal citizens both
in the public and private domain. The International
Women’s Day thus serves as a reminder of how much
we have achieved and how much more still needs to
be done.
Source: www.internationalwomensday.com, www.festivalsofindia.in

Holi Mahotsav 2010
Holi Mahotsav the grand festival of friendship
and harmony is celebrated with culture,
colours, folk and fun. This day is specially
chosen to forgive ‘foes’ and forget old differences
to become friends again. People from all castes and
religions come together to enjoy the spirit of Holi.
It harbingers the arrival of spring and new harvest.
In India during Holi days one can see colours of joy
everywhere.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia has been celebrating
this festival of colours and culture in Sydney for
the past 7 years. In the 8th year of this festival the
celebration venue was shifted from Tumbalong Park
and Chinese Garden Forecourts to Aquashell in
Cockle Bay Wharf and Palm Grove and convention
Centre Forecourts. Spread over three days the festival
saw a wide range of cultural performances, delicious
Indian vegetarian food stalls, Rath Yatra and colour
sessions. More than 180,000 people were estimated
to have passed through Darling Harbour over the
period of Holi Mahotsav. The festivities of three days
started on March 12, Friday evening with ‘Images of
India’ portrayed through Kathak dance repertoire by
Olga Chepelianskaia followed by the ever so lively
Bhangra dances by Platinum Bhangra and two hours
of Indian DJ—Sydney’s Party
Guru Raj Khanna presenting a foot tapping Bollywood
extravaganza! The lively Bhangra and the Bollywood
music raised the energy levels of the crowd.
Saturday, March 13 was the day of celebrating
spirituality. The highlight being Rath Yatra—the Rath
(Chariot) of Lord Jagannätha being hand-pulled by the
ISKCON devotees and Sydneysiders through the busy
streets of Sydney, culminating into Darling Harbour
and staying at the Palm Grove. The devotees chanted
prayers and praises of the Lord while pulling the
Chariot. The Yatra was organised along with that of
ISKCON Sydney. The event also witnessed the sacred
Holika Dahan (Holi Fire). The sacred fire ceremony
symbolises the emergence of good over evil. Unlike in
India where it is done in an open space where devotees
walk around the fire and chant prayers, in Sydney it
was observed by lighting a symbolic bonfire.
Yoga in Daily Life and Camp organized Yoga
demonstrations. The enthusiastic crowd readily took
part in the demonstrations. The cultural performances
did not take a break. The dances, fashion show and
musical performances took place in full swing after
the spiritual sessions.

Sunday, March 14 was a long day of cultural
extravaganza with all sorts of dances from India and
other cultures, musical bands, fashion show. Nearly
two hundred artists joined in presenting this marvel.
And of course the special attraction was of playing
with colours—for everyone who wished to participate.
Boys and girls with colour smeared faces and clothes
enthusiastically wished a Happy Holi to everyone and
looked forward to a colourful and bright new year.
With chaos, laughter and thrill, it was interesting
to see everyone enjoying and throwing colours in
the designated area, whilst the rest looked on with
delight, and perhaps even envy. Over the weekend, the
grand festival attracted tens of thousands of visitors
who absorbed themselves in the colourful fusion of
Indian music, dance, food and exhibitions. Some of
the most respected dignitaries also joined on Sunday.
The dignitaries were welcomed with the Aboriginal
Smoke Ceremony performed by Marx Harrison, an
Elder from the Aboriginal Community. The ceremony
symbolizes purification and blessings.
Looking at the success of the festival for the 8th year,
Gambhir Watts, President, Bhavan Australia, said,
“we are indeed immensely grateful to all those who
have travelled with us in past seven years in turning
Holi Mahotsav, an Indian festival of harmony and
friendship, into mainstream grand Australian festival
of harmony today. Australian community has made
Holi part of our evolving
cultural calendar. Our special
thanks are due to Sydney
Harbour Foreshore Authority,
India Tourism Sydney, City
of Sydney and ISKCON Sydney who agreed to and
encouraged our plans for Holi Mahotsav in 2003 and
have remained with us since then. The Premier of
New South Wales has been supporting Holi Mahotsav
since 2005 with grants from the Community Relations
Commission for a Multicultural NSW. We are grateful
to City of Sydney and City Central Command of
NSW Police who have greatly supported our Street
Procession / Rath Yatra every year since 2005. Our
sincere thanks and gratitude are due to them.”
He continued, “This year Lebara Mobile have joined
us a major sponsor. We express our heartfelt gratitude
to Lebara Mobile and other sponsors: Incredible
India, State Bank of India-Sydney, Vision Asia
and The Indian Link. We are grateful to our media
supporters The Indian, Indus Age, The Indian Down
Under, Punjab Times, who joined us in making this
2010 festival even brighter and diverse.”
Holi Mahotsav 2010 VIP session was graced by:
HE Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India;
HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja, Governing Body
Commissioner of ISKCON; Hon. Laurie Ferguson MP,
Parliamentary Secretary, representing Prime Minister;

Hon. John Hatzisterogos, Attorney General and
Minister for Citizenship, New South Wales; Warren
Mundine, Former President of National Labour Party
& Chief Executive Officer, NTSCORP; Krishna
Arya, Regional Director Australia, Government of
India Tourism Office; Michael Azar, Lebara Mobile;
Hon. Amit Das Gupta, Consul General of India; Vish
Viswanathan, President, Federation of Australian
Indian Associations Inc (FAIA); Dipen Rughani,
President Australia India Business Council New South
Wales; Varanayaka, President ISKCON Sydney; Hon.
Amanda Fazio, MLC, President of the Legislative
Council of NSW; Hon. Michael Richards MP, Liberal
Party of NSW; Bhakti John, National President
Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life; Dr Phil
Lambert, Director, Sydney Region, Department of
Education and Training; John Huxley, Senior Associate
Editor, Sydney Morning Herald; Philip Rolfe, Chief
Executive Officer, Parramasala, NSW Government;
Vijay Handoo, Director Doordarshan, India; Dr Nihal
Agar, President, Hindu Council of Australia; Dr A
Balasubramaniam, President, Sri Venkatesh Temple
Helensburg and former President of Hindu Council
of Australia; Mrs Aruna Chandrala, President, United
India Association; Ted Quan, Chinese Community,
former President of ECC of NSW; Padmanabhan
Karamil, President, Kerala Association of NSW; Dr
Yadu Singh, Secretary, Indian Australian Medical
Association; Mrs Lucky Singh, President, GOPIO
Sydney; Luigi De Luca, from Italian community and
Chopra, Councilor, Hornsby
Shire Council.
ISKCON had set up a small
temple of Lord Jagannath
and arranged for an inspirational and motivational
exhibition by the Temple. They had regular devotional
prayer sessions providing spiritual insights. The stalls
during the Holi Mahotsav pep up the festival by adding
variety to the event. This year though the number of
stalls were limited yet the variety of food and craft
was unlimited. A huge variety of delectable Indian
vegetarian favorites, beverages and sweets were on
offer by renowned Indian restaurants such as Taza
Tandoori, Taj Indian Sweets, Chandni Chowk Pty Ltd,
Fine Event Indian Cuisine, Sri Annapoorna Restaurant
& Catering and Connaught Place. Traditional Indian
drinks such as the staple Holi beverage—Thandai,
the ever popular—sugarcane juice and the refreshing
and nutritious yoghurt drink—Lassi proved to be
the perfect thirst quenchers. Stay Cool Tropical Sno
brought the cooling and calming coconut water and
fresh sweet corns. Meanwhile, merchandise stands
offered great bargains on traditional dresses, tops,
fashion accessories, fancy bangles and artistic Henna
art tattoos from Saileen Fashions, latest DVDs and
CDs from AXR Entertainment, Vision Asia and
Konnect TV gave out discounted prices for their
popular Indian channels package. There were other
stalls such as India Tourism Sydney, UAE Exchange,

The Indian Link. The event was full of activity and fun
with five young masters of ceremonies Sophil Raja,
Soiam Raja, Anchal Saxena, Dyasmin Sandu, Priya
Rao providing with direction to the cultural shows.
The crowd passionately sang and tirelessly danced
to a mix of recent Indian favourites and dances like
classical performances and high-energy numbers by
the Bhangra and folk songs by Platinum Bhangra and
Folk & Fun, Nupur Dance School, Samvar Dance Class,
Hola Mohalla, Priya Deewan Dance Academy, Ritika
Satsangi & Group, IABBV Hindi School, Bollystar
Dance School, Contemporary Dance Academy,
Ghungaroo Academy of Music & Dance, Geetanjali
School of Dance & Performing Arts. Adding glitz and
Bollywood glamour to the event were performances
by Mango Dance Studio artists choreographed by the
famous Bollywood Choreographer Farah Shah. Little
girls of Nital Desai’s group swayed the audience
with traditional Gujarati Dances. Stunning Tribal
Belly Dance performances by Ghaziya, Azif & Las
Hermanas Tribal Belly dancers
left the audience spellbound.
The Karen McPhillips
Scottish Highland Dancers
complimented the event with
their dance spreading the Scottish cheer. The event also
saw live band by Vishvaas Production, Tokyo Love-In
and AXR Entertainment. AXR group also entertained
the crowd with a colourful fashion show. Whilst all the
professional performers kept the audience grooving;
the real stars of the show were the talented little girls
as young as four, giving their version of Bollywood
hits. Holi Mahotsav 2010 was a successful show with
vibrant performances of over 400 artists from a large
number of Dance academies and cultural groups. The
festival also saw some singing sensations like Gurjot
Singh and Preet Singh who entertained the crowd with
Bollywood & Punjabi songs. The crowd swayed to the
music of the singers and then to the orchestra that
played for the evening.

Performances 12 March
» Olga Chepelianskaia
Performance Details: Images of India portrays various
colorful and dismaying aspects of India through Kathak
dance repertoire, a classical and creative dance of Northern
India. Three key aspects of Indian life - spirituality, love and
festivity - are depicted
» Platinum Bhangra
Group Coordinator: Harinder Kaur and Manu Singh
Performers: Manu Singh, Bulla Singh, Devinder Sandhu,
Preet Singh
Performance Details: Bhangra Dances
» DJ by Raj Khanna
Dhol Players dressed in traditional outfits (Drums with
traditional beats), Bollywood DJs
Performances 13 March
» Yoga in Daily Life
Group Coordinator: Bhakti Johnson
Performance Details: Yoga Demonstrations
» Songs by Gurjot Singh
» Samvar Dance Class
Group Coordinator: Samiksha
Performers: Aaryan Parmar, Deeti Jani, Jay Mehta,
Kanishka Desai, Meet Vyas, Paritosh Sharma, Riya Patel,
Samarth Shah, Varishi Shah.
Performance Details: Dances on songs Zoobie Doobie and
Tararumpum
» Ghaziya
Group Coordinator: Kristie Wolf, Devi Mamak (teacher)
Performers: Victoria Walker, Sara Haidinger and Kirstie
Wulf
Performance Details: Tribal Belly Dance Style performance.
Performing “Hip Shaker”, “Spanish Galleon”, “Setrak”,
“Beastie Bys’, “Joi”
» Camp Quality Yoga
»
Group Coordinator: Heidi Bock
Laughter Yoga Demonstration
Olga Chepelianskaia
Platinum Bhangra
Raj Khanna
Gurjot Singh

» Vishvaas production band
Group Coordinator: Dinesh Ramanan
Performers: Chiranth Wodeyar Gana Aruneswaran,
Pratamesh Datar, Prabanjan Datar, Aditya Prasad, Liam
Holley
Performance Details: Musical Performance (1) Mahatma
(Gandhi Title Track), (2) Akayla Asoka (Asoka Title Track)
» Isckon temple Kirtan Demonstration,
Speeches and Discusions followed by Cultural
Bon-Fire Ceremony.
» Hola Maholla
Group Coordinator: Preetraj Singh, Moninder singh
Performance Details: Gatka, An Ancient martial art used
by the Sikh Gurus to help defend the ‘basic human right’ to
live and let live not only for Sikhs but also for people from
other faiths. Gatka is considered to be spiritual as well as a
physical exercise.
» AXR Youth Band
Group Coordinator: Anchal Saxena
Performers:Gulnav Hora, Pranish Rai, Prashant Rai, Gagan
Singh, Anchal Lal
» Mahmood Khan Funk
Group Coordinator: Mahmood Khan
Performers: Anthony Lee, grace coburn, isac hayward, joe
manton, maharshi raval, mahmood khan, mike chin, naomi
csoke, phil sander, ron manton, shaun tarring, tamasin
howard
Performance Details: World
» Priya Deewan Dance Acadamy
Group Coordinator: Priya Deewan
Performers: Rhea, Kavisha, nikita , shivani, sonali, sohana,
satchi, radikha, Priyanka
Performance Details: Dance on Just Do It (Chance Pe
Dance) and a Bollywood Medly
» AXR entertainment Fashion Show by
Sareehaven
»
Group Coordinator: Anchal Saxena
Performers: Aahuti Dasour, Nikita Krishnan, Ruchi Arora
Saadia Miah, Vanita Balani, Linda
Samvar Dance Classes
Ghaziya
Hola Maholla
Mahmood Khan Funk
Priya Deewan Dance Acadamy

» AXR Entertainment - Element Five band
Group Coordinator: Anchal Saxena
Performers: Arjun Nidigallu, Mandeep Singh, Prathamesh
Datar, Shankar Athreiya, Prabhanjan Datar
Performances 14 March
» Dance Group Name: Gurjot singh
Group Coordinator: Gurjot singh
Performers: names: Gurjot Singh
Performance Details: Singing
» Ritika Satsangi and Group
Group Coordinator: Ritika Satsangi
Performers: Sona Garg, Ritika Satsangi,Niyati Gajjar, Dipali
Goel, Shivank Goel, Aditi Dala, Sanya Dalal
Performance Details: Bollywood Classical Dances
» IABBV Hindi School
Group Coordinator: Mala Mehta
Performers: Shriya Kamboj, Thripura S. Hariharan, Pooja
S. Hariharan, Shirali Garga, Khushboo Mahajan, Shagun
Panwar, Deepti Virmani
Performance Details: medley of two short Song Remixes
“Holi Re” & “Gunji Angana Mein Shehnai” and Bhangra
» Neetal Desai’s Gujarati Dance Group
Group Coordinator: Neetal Desai
Performers: Isha Desai, Sonia Giga, Rajsi Vyas, Aalapi
Shreekumar, Manasi Shelat, Niyati Desai, Pavitraa Hathi,
Aashka Desai, Stuti Bhatt, Urja Bhatia, Dhanvi Dave, Neha
Patel, Sonali Malhotra, Pavitraa Hathi, Divyansha Kumar,
Michelle Khurana, Anushka, Nikita Jain, Dhatri Bellave,
Divya Saxena, Ria Bhargava, Aananya Deshpande, Isha
Baldeo, Mugdha Ghosh, Jannavi Rao, Aashna Khanna
Performance Details: Traditional Gujarati Garba and Duha
» Bollystar Dance School
»
Group Coordinator: Neha Madaan
Performers: names: Neha Madaan, Monica Mookhy, Vidhi
Keerthana, Divya, Amisha, Diya, Diantha.
Performance Details: Semi Classical Bollywood Dancing
Fashion Show by Sareehaven
Element Five (V) Band
IABBV Hindi School
Ritika Satsangi and Group
Neetal Desai’s Gujarati Dance Group

» Azif and Las hermanas Tribal Belly Dancing
Group Coordinator: Sandy Burrow
Performers: Sandy Burrow, Karen Kelly, Sharrie Hannan, Bec
Slade, Sue Kennedy, Jodie , Stewart, Katie, Ruza Milkovic and
Merilyn Hyde.
Performance Details: Tribal Belly Dances.
» Dance Group Name: Mango Dance Studio
Group Coordinator: Farah Shah
Performers:
Performance Details: A wide variety of Bollywood Dances
from Performers of all ages.
» Aboriginal Smoke Ceremony
Group Coordinator: Peta Strathan
Performance by Max Harrison
» VIP Session
» Aboriginal Performance
Group Coordinator: Peta Strathan
Performance by Max Harrison
» Contemperary Dance Acedemy.
Group Coordinator: Shwetambra Barar / Anita Barar
Performers: names: Aishani Mahabir, Alisha Behl, Angelina
White, Anoushika Ginni, Anusha Kumar, Anushwa Ravalji,
Harshini Vaghela, Inaya Vhora, Isabella White, Ishaita
Katyal, Naomi, Navpreet kaur, Nikhita Kumar, Nikita Naidu,
Nikita Nandoskar, Niyati Desai, Nolene Sharma,Paris Ali,
Prisha Singh, Rachna Deshpande, Rhea Varandani, Rishika
Mahabir, Rohini Kamath, Ruhee Dixit, Sanaa Vhora,
Sandhya Menon, Sangeeta Menon, Sanjana Chand, Sanjana
Nagesh, Saya Varandani, Sharmin Zaman, Shauna Abel,
Shivani Raman, Simar Batra, Srishti Yadav, Tina Kumar,
Uma Dawson, Yasmin Zaman
Performance Details: Mix of Semi-Classical Bollywood
and Fusion Dances.
» Karen McPhillips School of highland dancing
Group Coordinator: Karen Macphilis
Performers: Lauren Caunter, Emily Carr, Emily McGuire,
Madeline James, Michaela Ng
Performance Details: Traditional dances from Scotland
» Camp Quality Yoga
»
Group Coordinator: Heidi Bock
Laughter Yoga Demonstration
Aboriginal Performance
Bollystar Dance School
Azif and Las hermanas
Mango Dance Studio

» Nupur Dance Group
Group Coordinator: Manjusha De & Jinnie De
Performers: Suhani, Arianna, Anisha, Parvati, Mahima,
Mahika, Palak, Junita,Sanjana, Anika, Jenny, Megha, Jinnie,
Parisa, Shilvana, Sharmila, Upasna, Aditi, Jyosthna, Junita,
Jerestene, Sarah, Vani, Aarushi, Akshita, Soumya, Prashant,
Rishab,Simi, Rani,Devika, Ritika, Sareena, Claudia
Performance Details: Fusion Bollywood with aspects of
classical styles and the last dance item is Bollywood/Bhangra
» Ghungaroo academy of music and dance
Group Coordinator: Kanan J shah
Performers: Kanan J Shah, kanan shah, vinita, Kavita, richa
pandey
Performance Details: Rajasthani Group Dance and Semi-
Classical Folk
» Geetanjali School of Dance and Performing
Arts
Group Coordinator: Sharmila Maitra.
Performers: Esha Arora, Sonel Arora, Priya Basu, Sheekha
Chalise, Arkita Chowdhury, Debi Chowdhury, Debolina
Chowdhury, Ritika Chowdhury, Ria Danwer, Alisha
DasGupta, Arya Goswami, Kavya Gupta, Shuchi Gupta,
Medha Gupta, Trisha Paul, Emil Rayan, Erika Rayan, Erina
Rayan, Anushuya Roy, Amy Shah, Diya Sharma, Shyrin
Sharma, Vidhushi Sharma, Ragini Sood, Shruti Yardi
Performance Details: “Ocean of Love” - Semi Classical
Fushion Dance, “Bhalo Koria” - Bangladesh Folk Songs,
“Saiya re”- Semi-Classical Bollywood Dance, “Kashmiri
Folk and a Dance Medly
» AXR entertainment Fashion Show by
Sareehaven
Group Coordinator: Anchal Saxena
Performers: Aahuti Dasour, Nikita Krishnan, Ruchi Arora,
Saadia Miah, Vanita Balani, Linda
» Tokyo Love-In
»
Group Coordinator: Michael Chin
Performers: Yamha Sarshar, Sangeet Mishra and Michael
Chin
Performance Details: Fusion between Indian Classical
music, contemporary beats and world music.
Contemperary Dance Acedemy
Karen McPhillips School
Nupur Dance Group
Geetanjali School of Dance

» Folk and Fun
Group Coordinator: Raju Sarai
Performers:
Performance Details: Bhangra Dances
» Master of Ceremonies
Anchal Saxena, Dyasmin Sandu, Priya Rao, Sophil
and Soiam Raja
» Stage Managers
Bhoji Watts, Manju Chand, Reena Doshi, Rajesh
Katakdhond, Jimmy Talatia
» Staff and Volunteers
Utkarsh Doshi, Jenny Ren, Sudhir Das, Zsolt Naggy,
Bushra, Emilie, Anchal Saxena, Ryan D’Lima, Deepthi
Pathak, Veena Sashikumar, Dinesh Raman, Gautam
Sehgal, Rinul Pashankar, Hitashi Gohil, Saurabh
Arora, Gagan Puri, Orsi Toth, Raghu, Sumedh, Anita
Nath, Nitin Navale, Amit Dongre, Robin Dmello,
Pratik Patel, Jishiv Patel, Ravi Pandya, Bhavesh
Savaliya
» Photogrphers:
Gred Dickens, Misa Okumura.
» Video graphers :
Will Walquist, Zsolt Naggy, Arvind Shukla, Nitisha
Tripathi
Folk and Fun
Masters of Ceremonies
Food Stall Holders
Chandni Chowk Pty Ltd Stay Cool Tropical Sno
Fine Event Indian Cuisine Taj Indian Sweets and Restaurant
Sri Annapoorna Restaurant & Catering Taza Tandoori Restaurant
Merchandise Stall Holders
Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life Konnectv Pty Ltd
AXR Entertainment UAE Exchange Australia Pty. Ltd.
Gocool Sugar cane Juicery Vision Asia Pty. Ltd.
Indian Link India Tourism Sydney
Marquee Stall Holders
Lebara Mobile Saileen Fashions
ISKCON Temple Marquee Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Messages for Holi Mahotsav 2010
Her Exellency Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India in Australia
I am glad to know that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, in keeping with its tradition of undertaking
activities aimed at strengthening the Indian community’s traditional linkages with the mother
country and promoting multiculturalism in Australia, is bringing out a special ‘Holi Mahotsav’
souvenir issue of its monthly magazine ‘Bhavan Australia’.
Holi, the joyous festival of colours of India heralds Spring. It is celebrated through the width
and breadth of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. It is in this spirit that Indians in
Australia as well as fellow Australians gather together on this day, to celebrate this festival in
a spirit of fellow feeling and friendship.
I wish the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan continued success in its endeavours and convey my
greetings to the readers of Bhavan Australia.
Hon Amit Dasgupta, Consul General of India in Sydney
I take pleasure in extending felicitations to the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Australia) for, once
again, organizing the Holi Festival in Sydney. It has come to be recognized, in Sydney, as a
major programme, which brings together persons of different backgrounds in the universal
spirit of brotherhood and friendship.
The initiative of the Bhawan in regularly organizing this programme is laudable and the
manner in which the entire resident Indian community has joined hands in making it a success
reflects the strong harmony that exists within the community.
I join all of you in extending peace, happiness and good will on this auspicious occasion to
everyone. Happy Holi!
Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia
The Holi Mahotsav festival of friendship and harmony, now in its eighth Australian year, has
become a mainstream Sydney festival celebrating Indian culture through dance and music
performances, cultural workshops, meditation sessions, food and merchandise stalls.
Around 250,000 people of Indian heritage live in Australia, and we value their contribution to
our society, our economy and our nation. These people-to-people ties are an integral part of
the strong and growing relationship between Australia and India.
Congratulations to the organisers for their efforts in continuing this great event. I wish
readers of of Bhavan Australia magazine and all those attending Holi Mahotsav an enjoyable
and memorable day.
Swami Sridharnanda, President Vedata Centre Sydney
We are glad to learn that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing the Holi Mahotsav
on the 14th March 2010.
Holi is a celebration of the different colours denoting variety but yet reminding us of
the unity behind it. Mythologically, it is the burning of evil in the all consuming fire
like Holika (the demoness) did and protecting the purity of the virtuous (like Prahlada).
Today’s world needs the message of Unity in Diversity and the victory of Virtue and
other spiritual values very much.
May the inspiration of this great festival help us to achieve peace is our humble prayer

Kristina Keneally, New South Wales Premier
We are glad to learn that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing the Holi Mahotsav on
the 14th March 2010.
Holi is a celebration of the different colours denoting variety but yet reminding us of
the unity behind it. Mythologically, it is the burning of evil in the all consuming fire
like Holika (the demoness) did and protecting the purity of the virtuous (like Prahlada).
Today’s world needs the message of Unity in Diversity and the victory of Virtue and other
spiritual values very much.
May the inspiration of this great festival help us to achieve peace is our
I send my best wishes to everyone involved in this year’s Holi Mahotsav celebrations.
Holi Mahotsav is one of the most vibrant and colourful events on Sydney’s cultural
calendar.
This event is a celebration of Indian traditions where Australians of Indian and non-Indian
background can experience Indian culture, music, dance, food, spirituality and philosophy.
Holi Mahotsav is an ancient festival celebrated across the streets of India and the Sydney celebrations have
grown in popularity since they began eight years ago.
Once again, I wish everyone a happy and festive Holi Mahotsav.
Best wishes for the celebrations. Holi Mubarak Ho.
Message from Pravrajika Ajayaprana, President Ramakrishna
Sarada Vedanta Society of NSW
Very happy to know that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing a celebration of the HOLI
festival in a very fitting manner, with RATHA YATRA, a serious meeting of V.I.Ps and
interesting entertainment programmes. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has always been very
much involved in presenting the cultural and spiritual lore of India. May your attempt be
rewarded with great success.
Message from Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami
Maheshwarananda Founder of Yoga in Daily Life, the System
Blessed Selves, Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The significance of Holi is that victory of good over evil is achieved through unshakable
devotion for the Lord. That same unshakeable devotion is required today if humans are to
live sustainably on this planet and achieve lasting world peace.
Spirituality is the only answer to the world’s problems and revival of humanity’s ethical
and spiritual values is the only guiding force that will affect the necessary change we want
for humanity and Mother Earth. To re-awaken and re-commit to maintaining these values
is an obligation required by everyone if we are to achieve the ultimate victory of good
over evil.
If we want peace in the world, we must first have peace within. There must be mutual
respect, love, understanding and compassion, not only for other humans, but also for all
of nature and the creatures that live therein. Such mutual recognition is not bought in the market place, it can
only be cultivated within by treating others as we wish to be treated. Only this will awaken the sense of
universal accountability.
A Yogi would say, “Renounce and limit your needs”. Renounce greed, renounce anger, renounce duality and
narrow-thinking. Open the heart and give. Understand another’s feelings, understand another’s life situation
and grant them their rights. Give them happiness and forgiveness. Never violate anyone physically, mentally or

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
emotionally. Never be the cause of another’s tears, since all beings are the embodiment of God.
The Vedas declare that one God has created this world. All creatures therefore are the children of one Creator
and all living beings are part of the one universal family. That is why the aim of every individual should be to
create a responsible and caring society so that all may experience the beauty of life and realise God. As Bhagwan
Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji said, “Love each and every living being as least as much as you love yourself”.
Thank you Mr. Gambhir Watts, President of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia and all sponsors and participants,
for organising and supporting this meaningful event of Holi Mahotsav 2010.
With Blessings of the Almighty
Message from Inder Singh, Chairman GOPIO International
I am glad to know that Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Australia, is organizing Holi Mahotsav
– the age old Indian festival of colors – at the well known Australian venue of Darling
Harbor. It is heartening to know that the mainstream Australian communities will join
the Indian Australian community in tens of thousands in this remarkable celebration. I
congratulate you on your leadership role for the event and commend you for providing
a forum for introduction of India’s culture to Australians.
Holi festival has an ancient origin and many legends & stories are associated with it.
Holi celebration marks the triumph of ‘good’ over ‘bad’ and is celebrated with a lot
of pomp and pageantry through the width and breadth of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Sikhs celebrate a similar festival known as
Hola Mohalla.
Holi, heralds spring in India. It is also known as Phagwa after the name of the month Phalgun, which usually
falls in the later part of February or March. Holi celebration has also become an important festival in many
countries where Indian Diaspora had gone and settled, such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad,
Mauritius, Fiji, some countries in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and others.
I convey my greetings to the Indian Australian community and members of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for
celebrating the Holi festival in a spirit of fellow feeling and friendship. I also admire the commitment and
dedication with which you and the Holi festival committee have been organizing the event, year after year, for
the past 7 years.
Krishna Arya, Regional Director Australasia, India
Tourism Sydney wished everyone a colourful and a happy
Holi Celebrations.
Message from Hon Amanda Fazio MLC, President
Legislative Council
Please accept my apologies for my non-attendance at the Holi Mahotsav Festival
at Darling Harbour on 14 March 2010. I was not feeling well and was unable to
attend.
The media coverage that the Festival received indicates that the wider community
are supporting the festival in ever increasing numbers. Congratulations to the
Bahvan for another very successful Holi Mahotsav Festival.

Holi Mahotsav 2010—A View -Saurabh
‘Holi’ comes from the word ‘Hola’, meaning to offer
oblation or prayer to the almighty as thanksgiving for
good harvest. Holi is celebrated every year to remind
people that those who love God shall be saved and
they who torture the devotee of God shall be reduced
to ashes a la the mythical character Holika.
Holi is also associated with the historical story of
Holika, the sister of demon-king Hiranyakashipu. The
demon-king punished his son, Prahlad in a variety of
ways to denounce Lord Narayana. He failed in all his
attempts. Finally, he asked his sister Holika to take
Prahlad in her lap and enter a blazing fire. Holika had
a boon to remain unburned even inside fire. Holika
did her brother’s bidding. However, Holika’s boon
ended by this act of supreme sin against the Lord’s
devotee and was burnt to ashes. But Prahlad came out
unharmed.
Holi Mahotsav, Indian Festival of colours, friendship
and harmony, was celebrated for 3 days starting on
12 March at Palm Grove & Cockle Bay area. The
event was presented by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Australia with the support of Lebara Mobiles and
Incredible India. Although Bhavan Australia had been
celebrating this festival for years but it was my first
time to celebrate Holi festival on a foreign land and
that made me more excited.
It was 12th March when we, group of 4 friends,
fortunately met Gambhir Watts, President, Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan Australia near Cockle Bay area and we
came to know about the huge event that was going
on there. Meeting Mr Watts was so encouraging and
marvellous that we could not control ourselves to offer
our voluntary support to him. Next day ie on 13th
March, we reached the venue at 10:30 in the morning
and on looking around, we saw a beautiful stage on
Aquashell and so many people gathering near the stage
and enjoying the performances. Before beginning the
work for the day, I walked to the Bhavan’s hut where
the historical stories and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi
were on display, seeing which could give goosebumps
to any Indian and same applied to me. Foodstalls with
Indian delicacies were mouthwatering and watching
people from different nationalities enjoying samosa,
naan and curry was wonderful.
During the festival, I was mostly inside the ‘performers
check in’ room and hence I knew what was about to
be the coming performance. The day began with Yoga
lessons, laughter sessions, Belly dancing and singing.
I could not see what was going on stage but with the
gradual increase in the sound of claps, I could say that
whatever was going on was being liked by all and
gradually more and more people were joining in
the celebration. By noon there was an exponential
increase in the number of people gathering there
and then came the beautifully decorated and exotic
‘Rath Yatra’ (Chariot) presented by ISKCON, Sydney.
Entire atmosphere was filled with chanting of ‘Hare
Krishna’. All the devotees were nicely dressed in
traditional Indian clothes and were very enthusiastic
about the event, which was easily seen in the way they
were chanting and dancing. Many people from all age
groups followed the Chariot and actively participated
in the event.
Towards the end of the day, weapon display and
Bhangra performance by Sikh community in Sydney
became the limelight and grabbed the attention of the
audience and won loads of applauds from them. The
entire celebration was not only celebrated by Indians
but was also equally enjoyed by people of other
nationalities. During the event, I got the privilege
to talk to many people from different countries like
Hungary, Indonesia, China, Korea and of course
Australia. Every one was utterly curious and excited
to know more about Holi festival and to see the ways
it is celebrated with colours.
Next day, on 14 March, the day started with the
preparation of Holi playing area. During the process,
I could feel so much excitement among the people that
they could not resist themselves from asking us about
the timing of the colour throwing sessions and upon
knowing that they looked very enthusiastic about it.
12:15 pm was the time when the first colour throwing
session had to begin and people started gathering around

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
the Holi playing area even before that. Two middle
aged ladies from Australia shared their experiences of
Holi celebration in India last year and they seemed
very enthusiastic to play Holi again but this time at
Darling Harbour. A few minutes later another young
lady approached me and asked significance of this
festival to me. With my limited knowledge, I tried
to answer her question by saying ‘Holi is the festival
of colours and is played during spring season every
year in India. The way it is celebrated is different in
different parts of India but colour is used everywhere.
The main idea behind using colours is that colours
remove all differences prevailing in the society as you
can not guess the caste, colour, creed, and religion
behind the coloured face and everyone plays Holi with
each other forgetting all such differences. Moreover,
this festival is so much fun that even foes turn to
friends and play Holi together.’
As soon as we opened the barrier for the crowd to
enter the Holi playing area, people of all age groups
and all nationalities just jumped in and started playing
Holi with each other. Entire day, people had shown
their enthusiasm in playing Holi and some people
were coming again and again especially a 12 year old
boy Jimmy. He looked so innocent and cute while he
was colouring himself. Last colouring session was the
wildest session, everyone started pushing others to
Holi Mahotsav 2010 - Event Statistics
grab some colours and there were unexpectedly huge
number of people in the playing area. It had become
so difficult to manage the crowd for a while that we
had to stand on the table for distributing colours.
By the end of the colouring session, everyone was
looking stunningly colourful, happy and funny as
well. Some people were laughing at each other,
some were comparing the colours of each other, kids
running around and parents worried about the clothes
and whether this colour would be washed off from
their faces or not.
Last performance of the day, Bhangra and the beats of
Dhol put dancing shoes on everyone backstage as well
as frontstage. Celebration ended with dancing and
thanksgiving to everyone who helped in organizing
the event, to everyone who performed on stage,
to everyone who had their stalls, to everyone who
coloured themselves, to everyone who were capturing
the event with their cameras and last but not the least
there was a big thanks to the audience and spectators
without them the event may not had been that huge
success.
Day / Date No of Performance Items No of Performers No of Staff / Volunteers
Friday - 12 March 2010 3 11 6
Saturday - 13 March 2010 15 120 43
Sunday - 14 March 2010 19 267 46
Total 37 398 47

Evolution of Cave Temples
The presence of so many cave temples
dedicated to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism
in Western Maharashtra point to the fact that
true religion is faith and living in the presence of God.
These caves also tell us that all religions are equal in
the sense that they try to meet the felt need of humans
for spiritual progress.
The question that comes up in one’s mind is why
there is concentration of so many cave temples in one
area and how long has the evolution been going on.
As all the three main prevailing religions of India
co-existed, some of the striking similarities in terms
of architecture as well as icons seem to suggest that
all of them were tolerated, accepted or welcomed
by all. What is it that has caused this religious
tolerance and how did the architectural and iconic
similarity permeate each other’s field? Before going
into the details, it is necessary to walk through the
evolutionary path that man took to reach the stage of
carving a permanent shelter in existing rocks or hills.
Starting with the evolution of human beings, evolution
of human dwelling also was taking place. As the
human being evolved into a different social animal,
he chose to protect himself and his family from the
wild animals, the harsh climates and the blazing sun.
This he did by erecting a roof over him. Over a period,
this plain roof became a mud, mortar and wooden
architecture. The improvement in the architectural
design of mud and wooden/thatched homes also
influenced the temple architecture, though made of
the same material.
In the beginning, it was functional, just to provide
a home. Later, the sunlight and ventilation were
controlled and windows were added. Then a place of
worship was added, at a higher level, as God should
be at a higher level than the human being. Therefore,
temples became more ornate and were placed on an
elevation. Another reason for elevating the abode of
God was, the notion that God lives in heaven, which
is supposed to be high above. This was the religious
zeal along with man’s need for aesthetic beauty in the
house as well as outside his house, i.e., his relation
with God.
What better place can there be than a hill or mountain
to give that desired elevation for God’s abode to
signify his superior existence? Also to indicate that
one has to make an effort to get to God, all these cave
temples were situated away from the town or city,
neither too close nor too far.
Perhaps another reason was to maintain a distance
-Rajeswari Raghu
from the laymen. Or was it a test for the monks and
the sanyasis who lived closer to the Hindu caves?
Interestingly, some of the Hindu caves have Mithuna
couples in the main temples, a self test whether the
grahasthashrama period is over, or some worldly
desires were still left. As the sculptors became more
adept in ornated figures and structures, a permanent
and secure place was needed to express the devotion
or bhakti on a permanent basis. Granites, marbles and
other soft stones were already in experimental use
along with different wood.
Another happy situation was that India was going
through a prosperous period. There was political
stability, religious freedom, tolerance towards other
religions and above all, there was royal patronage. A
new type of artists and the guild system came up which
wanted them to try their hands at different things.
The followers of all the three religions, i.e., Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism were rich in religious scriptures,
and were also competing with each other in selecting
and establishing or building places of worship. The
prosperity also encouraged trade with far off places.
These trades resulted in “trade routes”, which also
connected the Buddhist cultural centres. There is a
suggestion that the land trade routes covered Lumbini
(present Nepal), Samarkand (present Afganisthan) and
Dvarkavrata (present Dwarka). The Buddhist monks
travelled to other centres so did the traders. Both
needed each other. There were sea routes also through
which business was carried out with Sri Lanka, and
Arab countries.
Why Cave Temples?
As India was becoming prosperous through trade,
more people had to travel from place to place. These
trade travels took a long time to complete and on the

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
way people needed to rest and worship God. These
traders came across many mountains on their way.
They needed both shelters as well as shrines for their
spiritual development.
In the Western India, the prominent trade route was
between Jalgaon, Ajanta, Daulatabad or Verul, Ujjain,
Pune, and Indore. The traders were sometimes forced
to rest in the forests or the natural caves when they
were tired. These naturally-formed caves prompted
people to explore and take their artistic pursuance to
a new height.
Nature of Rock for Carving
The Western Ghat topography, with its flat-topped
basalt hills, ravines and sharp cliffs, was suitable for
rock cutting. While exploring the texture of the rock
along the trade routes, the sculptors found that the
rocks were neither hard nor soft, but porous in nature.
The Buddhists’ ideology encouraged identification
with trades; hence, merchandise and the prosperity
associated with trade helped commissioning of
these cave temples which served the dual purpose of
providing shrines and shelters.
Stages of Rock Architecture
First Stage: The first stage was scooping the rock
to make a hollow/room. Example: Almost all cave
temples have gone through this stage and there are
remnants in practically all cave groups. Some of them
are incomplete and abandoned.
Second Stage: In the second stage, light was controlled.
Windows and ventilators were also scooped out at
a particular place to facilitate making the caves get
maximum daylight. Examples of the second stage are
found in all cave groups.
Third Stage: In the third stage of rock architecture,
light was allowed to enter from all three sides of the
rock cave. This was again scooped in and the cave
was part of the hill or mountain. Example: Elephanta
or Gharapuri Caves across the Gateway of India and
Pataleshwar Caves, near Pune.
Fourth Stage: In the fourth stage of rock architecture,
an entire block of the hill was cut out and a cave
temple scooped out. In this stage, the cave was no
more part of the live hill or mountain. Example:
Kailash Temple of Ellora. It is also the largest single
monolithic structure.
Cave Temples in Western Maharashtra
Ellora Caves (1st, 2nd and 4th stage of Rock
Architecture): Ellora Caves are the richest in terms
of architecture and iconography. The excavation of
the caves spanned from second century A.D. to 11th
century. It boasts of the Buddhist (earliest), Jain and
Hindu caves. As there was a guild system, perhaps
artists came from the same school, as we see a common
iconography and style in all the three types of caves.
The Buddhist Caves belong to both the Hinayana
(lower vehicle) and Mahayana (higher vehicle) period.
Salabhanjika, or the Saal tree under which Buddha got
enlightenment is also depicted. A lot of importance is
given to the Bodhisatva (previous birth of Buddha,
before he attained Bodhisatva) in the Buddhist caves
and ornamental plants, dwarapalikas, etc. The statues
of Jain looks almost like the Buddha, but for the
symbol of Srivatsa on the chest of the Tirthankaras.
Adinath, Parswanath, Gomateeswara, Mahaveer, are
the main figures. The Hindu caves have the Trinity,
Saptamatrukas, stories from Siva Purana, Ravana, etc.
Ellora Caves or Verul, as it is called by the local people,
was excavated out of the vertical face of a hill 26 km
north of Aurangabad. There are 34 caves which were
chiselled between 5th and 11th century A.D. These
caves never vanished and were known to the local
people for two reasons. The presence of Grishneswar
Temple, one of the Jyotirlingas. A lot of pilgrims were
visiting the temple for worship. Another reason is the
proximity to the village Verul. Daulatabad or the old
Devgiri Fort which was built by many kings was also
known to the people. The Archaeological Department
of Western Maharashtra found an entire town of
graveyard to prove that this place was inhabited.
Many of the caves served as places of dwelling for the
locals. Like the Ajanta Caves, these caves were also
plastered and painted. However, due to the proximity
to the village, the local grazers started living and
cooking in these caves. Some of the walls still have
soot and scribbling. Vandalism seems to be rampant
in these caves.
These caves spanned from the 2nd Century A.D.
to the 11th Century A.D. Several dynasties like the
Vakatakas, Satavahanas, and Rashtrakutas were
engaged in the excavation of the caves. The Kailasa
Temple (last stage of rock architecture) took seven
generations of Rashtrakuta kings to complete the cave
temple.
Ajanta Caves (First and Second Stage): The other
types of caves were Viharas which were places of
meditation and living quarters for the monks with cells
on either side of the hall. These cells were scooped
out with a stone-carved bed and a pillow. The Viharas
served both as a place of worship and living. Some
of the Buddhist caves have raised platforms on both
sides of the aisles, perhaps for the Buddhist pupils
to keep their books, writing materials, or as dinning
tables.
Chaityagraha: All the caves of Ajanta were plastered
and painted. The plaster was made of mud, shell, grass
and cowdung. After the plaster, a white coating was
applied, on which the outlines were drawn. Most of

scenes were from the lives of Buddha, Bodhisatvas, or
royal families. Traders were also important, as shops
with shutters were also seen.
The Ajanta caves are over 700 years old. Some of them
belong to second Century B.C. There are 31 caves
which can be divided into two periods. The first one
from second Century B.C. to second Century A.D. The
second period was from middle of third Century, A.D.
to 6th Century A.D. The intervening period between
the two is not known. Why the work stopped? Where
did the artists go? Was there a political turmoil? There
is no record for this gap of 600 to 700 years.
These caves are of two types: Chaityas and Viharas.
Chaityas are purely for worshipping consisting of a
dome, symbolising the mould after burial. On the top
of the dome, there is a structure like a casket (perhaps
for the ash?) The Chaityas also have a carved beam
and rafters running across the roof. They have no
function, since all wooden architecture was there to
hold the structure together. The same was copied in
the rock architecture also.
All Chaityas have circumambulatory path for
pradakshina and were for the purpose of worship only
for the monks who stayed there and for the laymen.
Karla Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): Karla is close
to Lonavala, a hill station in the Western Ghats
(Sahayadri Mountains). Karla has both Hinayana and
Mahayana types of caves. It dates back to 1st Century
B.C. to 7th Century A.D. Like the Ajanta Caves, the
Karla Caves were also excavated in two periods. The
splendour of the caves suggests that Buddhism was
at its peak when these caves were excavated. This is
also the largest group of Chaityas. As the caves are a
detour from Malavli railway station, not many people
visit them. One can leisurely study them and enjoy the
ghat (valley) and the greenery surrounding the caves.
An architectural drawing of a Chaitya Karla cave is
also the only Chaitya where the original wooden rafter
and beams are intact inspite of more than a lapse of
2000 years. These wooden supports are absolutely
non-functional in a rock architecture. These caves too
were excavated to shelter the monks from the rains.
Unlike Ajanta and Ellora, the Karla caves do not have
the figure of Buddha. Later additions of a temple and
a stone-carved Ashoka pillar greets the visitors after a
steep climb of 550 steps.
Kanheri Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): Kanheri caves
come from the word, Krishnagiri or the black hills.
Like all groups of caves, the nature of the rock is
basalt or lava rock. The caves have intricate carvings
and inscriptions in Brahami script. Dating back to 1st
Century A.D., this is a Buddhist group of caves with
both Buddha and Bodhisatva carved. There are both
Viharas as well as Chaityas. A flight of steps leads
to the caves. On the way, there are several cisterns
with water for the monks living there and also for the
visitors and the traders who passed that route.
Bhaje Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): The caves date back
to the 2nd Century B.C. and falls in the second stage
of rock architecture. The caves are Hinayana style.
Architecturally, the caves are similar to the Karla
caves, as a guild system existed during that period.
It belonged to the Satavahana period, when they were
ruling the Deccan region.
Bedsa Caves: Not very far from the Karla and Bhaje
caves, the road, a narrow path passing through a
village, leads to the caves. The numerous stupas stun
the visitors with a question—why so many?
Dating back to 2nd Century B.C., the Bedsa caves are
little different from the Karla and Bhaje caves. The
facade of the Chaitya is shoe-shaped like the other
caves, but with a difference and it is carved over the
main door. In the other cave groups, the facade itself
is the main entrance. Here, the facade seems to be
split due to the presence of the doors at the bottom.
The caves have beautiful pillars with carved animal
and human figures. These Chaityas also originally
had wooden rafters and beams, as there are sockets on
both sides. From the top of the cave, one can have a
magnificent view of the surroundings fields.
Aurangabad Caves (1st and 2nd stage): These caves
are inside the Dr Ambedkar University campus. They
are the most exposed to the human touch and visits,
along with animals. These caves can be dated between
2nd to 6th Centuries A.D. The caves are overshadowed
by the presence of Ajanta and Ellora caves, which are
more famous world over. The Aurangabad caves are
stunning and intricate in terms of carving. This is a
group of 12 caves spread within a kilometre area.
Most of them are Viharas and in Tannic style where
iconography is concerned.
Elephanta/Gharapuri Caves (The only cave of 3rd
stage of rock architecture intact): This is the only
rock carved-temple of the 3rd stage which is intact.
The other incomplete one is in Pataleshwar caves in
Pune. Both these caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Other cave groups in Maharashtra which are
architecturally important are the Pithalkhora caves
near Aurangabad.
The caves belong to the period between first Century
B.C. to 2nd Century A.D. These are Buddhist caves
belonging to the Thervadai style, and have both
Chaityas and Viharas.
The Mahakali, and Jogeshwari Caves are within
Mumbai city. The Lenadri near Pune and Pandava
Leni are in Pune city.
Source: Bhavan’s Journal, November 15 2009

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
According to the Islamic calendar, Id-E-Milad
or Barah Wafat is celebrated on the twelfth
day of the third month Rabi-ul-Awwal. It
is celebrated to commemorate the birth and death
anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, which falls
on the same day. The word ‘barah’ signifies the
twelve days of the Prophet’s sickness. During the
twelve days, sermons and Koranic texts narrating
the life and noble deeds of the Prophet are recited
in mosques. At some places in India, a sandal rite
is performed over the figurative footprints of the
Prophet engraved in stone kept in an elaborately
decorated casket, in which a representation of
Buraq (Prophet’s horse) kept near the footprints, is
anointed with sandal paste. The Prophet is believed
to have ascended to heaven on Buraq. Elegies known
as ‘Marsiyas’ are sung to commemorate Prophet’s last
days while the twelfth day or the ‘Urs’ is observed
quietly. During these days, learned men deliver
sermons in mosques focussing on the life and noble
deeds of the Prophet. In places like Mumbai, hundreds
of people throng the colourfully decorated markets and
pay obeisance at the mosques as children and young
men take out a procession. In Muslim dominated
places like Lucknow, the main feature is ‘Milad’
procession taken out by thousands of people. Youths
and children singing devotional songs form part of the
cavalcade, which includes exhibits depicting mosques
of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Prophet Muhammad—
The Prophet of Islam
According to the Muslim Historians Muhammad was
born in the desert of Arabia at a place called Mecca,
present day Saudi Arabia, on 20th April 571 AD.
Though there are certain controversies regarding
the actual date but in most of the historical books
this date is followed. He is depicted as the model
for humanity in all walks of life to follow until the
Last Hour. He is regarded as the messenger of Allah
(God). Circa 610 AD, Prophet is said to have gained
revelations from Allah through the Angel Gabriel
that he was His Messenger. In 622 AD Muhammad
along with his followers went to Medina. This flight
from Mecca to Medina is known as Hijrah and marks
the beginning of the Islamic era. By 630 AD, Islam
came to be accepted as a religion and Muhammad
as ruler by a large number of people. However, in
632 AD Muhammad led the pilgrimage to Mecca,
preached his farewell sermon and died soon after. His
name signifies ‘highly praised’. He is the greatest
among all the sons of Arabia. He is more than all the
Id-E-Milad
leaders, kings, poets and philosophers that preceded
him in that impenetrable desert of red sand. When
he appeared Arabia was a desert and nothing. Out of
nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty
spirit of Muhammad. He gave birth to a new life, a
new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom, which
extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the
thought and life of three continents, Asia, Europe and
Africa.
The Life of Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad was one of the most influential
religious and military leaders in history. His father
died before he was born, and Muhammad was put under
the care of his grandfather, head of the prestigious
Hashim clan. His mother died when he was six,
and his grandfather when he was eight, leaving him
under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new head
of the clan. When he was 25, Muhammad married a
wealthy widow 15 years his senior. He lived the next
15 years as a merchant, and came into contact with
many Jewish merchants and landowners in the largely
Jewish Kingdom of Himyar in what is today Saudi

Arabia and Yemen. The Prophet and his wife gave
birth to six children: two sons, who died in childhood,
and four daughters. From time to time, Muhammad
spent nights in a cave in Mount Hira north of Mecca,
ruminating on the social ills of the city. Around 610
AD, he had a vision in the cave in which he heard the
voice of a majestic being, later identified as the Angel
Gabriel, say to him, “You are the Messenger of God.”
Thus began a lifetime of religious revelations, which
he and others collected as the Qur’an, or Koran.
Muhammad regarded himself as the last Prophet of
the Judaic-Christian tradition, and he adopted aspects
of these older religions’ theologies while introducing
new doctrines. Teachings of Muhammad are included
in what is called “Hadith.” The “Hadith” is a record of
Muhammad’s words and deeds according to his wives,
relatives, and companions. Next to the Quran, it is the
most important part of Islamic law; its teachings are
just as binding. It is recorded and interpreted in many
books and in various forms by various people.
The Prophet and Islam
The birth of Islam is closely associated the Prophet,
his life and work. Islam was created with high
and noble spiritual aims, and has grown to be the
inspiration of millions of worshippers worldwide.
The basic interpretation of Islam is that it is a war
against greed, immorality, idolatry and the uniting the
whole world. Khadija was the first disciple to profess
faith in the Prophet. She became his disciple and
the first follower of Islam. From that time onwards
Muhammad delivered public sermons on his faith to a
large number of people, proclaiming the unity of God
and denouncing the evil of drunkenness and impurity.
Though some ridiculed and turned away, others were
converted by the power of his words. The Prophet of
Islam did not hold any debates nor did he challenge
anyone to controversies and discussions. He silently
converted people to his faith through his strong
personality, charming demeanor and force of divine
virtues. His characteristics as well as the power of the
verses of the Koran captivated the hearts of people.
People accepted Muhammad’s faith readily because
it was plain, simple and direct. He sent missionaries
to other parts of Arabia in order to convert the entire
peninsula to the new faith. It was the strength and
power of his teachings with attracted numerous
followers because they came from a simple and honest
man who never posed as a world teacher. He often told
his disciples that he was an ordinary man as they were,
teaching them to believe in Allah and His revelations.
Source: www.manyzone.com, www.festivalsinindia.net, www.
allindianfestivals.com, www.hindustanlink.com

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Mahadevi Verma, a famous Hindi poet and
writer, was born on 26 March 1907, in
Farrukhabad in a family of lawyers. She
was the eldest among her four siblings. She received
her education at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She
went to Allahabad University for higher education
and obtained her Master’s degree in Sanskrit from
Allahabad University. She was a well-known Hindi
poet of the Chhayavaad generation, the times when
every poet used to incorporate romanticism in their
poetry. She is more often called the modern Meera.
Life History
Mahadevi Verma was married to Dr Swarup Narayan
Verma at an early age. After marriage she continued
to live with her family and receive education. She
met her husband for some time in the princely state
of Tamkoi somewhere around 1920. Thereafter, she
moved to Allahabad to further her interest in poetry.
Unfortunately, she and her husband mostly lived
separately and were busy pursuing their individual
interests. They used to meet occasionally. Her
husband died in the year 1966. Then, she decided to
permanently shift to Allahabad.
Writings and Interests
Mahadevi Verma was one amongst the other major
poets of the Chhayavaadi School of the Hindi
literature. She was the epitome of child prodigy.
Not only she wrote fabulous poetry, but also made
sketches for her poetic works such as Deepshikha
and Yatra. Deepshikha is one of the best works of
Mahadevi Verma. She was also famous for her book
of memoirs. She was highly influenced by the values
preached by the Buddhist culture. She was so much
inclined towards Buddhism that, she even attempted
to become a Buddhist Bhikshuni.
Notable Works of Mahadevi Verma
Some of her notable works included: Prose: Ateet ke
Chalchitra, Kshanda, Mera Parivaar, Path ke Saathi,
Sahityakaar ki Aastha, Sambhashan Sankalpita,
Shrinkhla ki Kadiya, Smriti ki Rekhayen.
Poetry: Deepshikha, Himalaya, Neerja, Nihar,
Rashmi, Sandhya Geet, Saptaparna.
Collection: Geetparva, Mahadevi Sahitya, Parikrama,
Sandhini, Smarika, Smritichitra, Yama.
Honours
Her writings were well-acclaimed and earned her an
important position in the world of Hindi literature.
Mahadevi Verma
Her amazing poetry collection Yama brought her
the Gyanpeeth Award (1940), the highest Indian
literary award. In the year 1956, the Government of
India honoured her by conferring the title of Padma
Bhushan upon her. She was the first Indian woman
to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi in the
year 1979. Her most famous works include Atita ke
Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and
Smriti ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her
famous poetic publications are Nihar, Rashmi, Neerja
and Sandhya Geet. Her work Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan
reflects the plight of Indian women.
As Mirabai
Mahadevi Verma was deeply aesthetic. Her poetry
is marked by a constant pain, the pain of separation
from her beloved, the Supreme Being. Due to this she
is also sometimes compared to Mirabai. There is an
element of mysticism in her poetry. Her poems are
addressed to her distant lover, while her lover remains
quiet and never speaks. With her work Deepshikha,
which contains 51 poems, she ventured into new field
of Hindi literature—Rahasyavaad. She also served as
an Editor of the famous Hindi monthly Chand.
Social Reformer
Mahadevi Verma was also a social reformer. She
strongly advocated the cause of women in India. Many
of her prose works reflect her views on the plight of
Indian women. She was appointed the first Principal

of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth,
started to impart education to
girls through Hindi medium. Later
she became the Chancellor of the
institute. She believed that, only by
educating women, society becomes
enlightened. She wanted women to
be empowered and become selfdependent.
The Literary Figure
Mahadevi Verma was one of the
top ranking figures in the world of
Hindi literature. She was always
remembered with reverence
along with the pioneers of the
“Chhayavad” movement, such as Jai
Shankar Prasad, Surya Kant Tripathi
‘Nirala’ and Sumitra Nandan Pant.
Her style was such that she could
easily integrate mysticism of nature
with the highest imagination of
a human being where sorrow and happiness are
interwoven. She not only enriched Hindi literature
but also gave it a new direction, directing it towards
newer objectives leading to a more enjoyable and
rejoicing path. Her readers were not only impressed
by her flowery language and beautiful expression
but also in the deep aesthetic stream of philosophical
realization of eternal truth emerging from a sense of
union with the Supreme Reality, which enabled her
readers to have a taste of eternal happiness or bliss.
In most of her works the essence of spirituality can be
seen. She was a lover of nature like Wordsworth. For
her the beauty of nature was not only a thing of joy,
but also an object of worship and adoration. Nature,
for her was an eternal source of inspiration leading
to self-realization. To her, prose was a subject of the
intellect and poetry dealt with emotions. In prose, one
needs subjects to ponder over and discuss, but poetry
flows by itself. It does not need any sort of external
support. She enriched Hindi literature by expressing
herself beautifully both in prose and poetry. She was
also deeply involved in fine arts, culture and selfexpression
through her poems, articles and other
writings.
Disciple of Mahatma Gandhi
She had no interest in politics but she was very
much aware of the contemporary scenario. She was
against the evils existing in the society in the form
of corruption, bribe, treachery, untruth, falsehood and
hypocrisy. She was a profounder of truth and was a
faithful admirer and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. She
said, “At the time of Mahabharata only one untruth
brought a lot of misfortune for both Pandavas and
Kauravas, but now everyone is taking shelter under
untruth, falsehood and hypocrisy. Hence, we find
everywhere in society deep distress, unhappiness
and misery. Only God knows what will happen to
the country.” In her Presidential Address at Hindi
Sansthan, Lucknow, she expressed her anguish over
the ways the politicians who were selfish and selfcentered.
They always gave importance for their
well-being and ignored the common well-being of
the people. According to her, politicians had become
mere puppets in the hands of the dishonest tyrants and
their only objective was to achieve the highest seat
in the corridors of power. She said, “I can understand
if someone dreams to serve the country and devote
himself for the important task of nation building or
to serve mankind at large, but I cannot understand
how a person can dream to be at the helm of affairs
by snatching the highest chair in the power-achieving
game and still think that he is a great person.”
Mahadevi closely followed Mahatma Gandhi’s
philosophy of life. She worked with towering
personalities like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr
Rajendra Prasad. She realized that truth and happiness
flows naturally from sacrifice, from reunion with the
Supreme Reality. She practiced what she preached in
her life so much so that each and every word in her
poems became more or less a sermon, or a piece of
scripture. This famous personality died on September
11, 1987.
Source: www.iloveindia.com, www.mapsofindia.com, www.
indianetzone.com

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
R. Shamashastry
Scholar Who discovered Arthashastra
Till about the dawn of the 20th century there
was a misconception in the Western world
that everything in ancient India was moved
by otherworldly considerations, the society ignorant
of statecraft, social affairs and administration. The
turning point which removed this misconception,
was the discovery of Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’ in
Sanskrit. Though written 2,400 years earlier, the
classic work was discovered as late as the 20th
century. The singular credit for this discovery goes
to Dr Rudrapatnam Shamashastry of Mysore who not
only discovered the manuscript but heralded a new era
in Indian administration and statecraft.
The history of ancient India pertaining to the 4th
century BC, shows that it was Kautilya, also known
as Vishnugupta or Chanakya, who overthrew the
ruling Nanda dynasty and annointed Chandragupta
Maurya as the King. Kautilya was a student of the
Taxila University (then called Takshashila and now
in Pakistan), the very first university to be founded in
the world as early as in 700 B.C. He later taught in the
same university for about four years.
It was this Kautilya who wrote ‘Arthashastra’ which
is a monumental treatise on administration and civic
affairs. This comprehensive work, must have been
written some time between 321–296 BC.
It is a practical guide not only on running governmental
organisations but also a work that deals with duties
of Kings, Ministers, local officials, methods of
diplomacy etc including ways and means of defeating
an enemy. Encyclopedic in its coverage many scholars
have wondered how one head could carry such a vast
knowledge.
Among the libraries and research institutions in the
country which preserve rare palm leaf manuscripts,
the Mysore Oriental Library (now called the Oriental
Research Institute) is well-known.
In 1891 the then Maharaja of Mysore State wanted
to celebrate the golden jubilee of Her Majesty the
Queen Victoria’s accession to the British throne in
a grand style and got a beautiful building built with
a blend of classical architectural styles and named it
Victoria Jubilee Institute. This is the same building in
which the Oriental Library has been functioning for
more than a century. It was here that the manuscript
of Kautilya’s Arthashastra was first discovered.
-B.M.N. Murthy
This library had a librarian named Rudrapatnam
Shamashastry during 1905. Shastry hailed from a
place known as Rudrapatnam on the banks of river
Kaveri and was born in a Sankethi Brahmin family
and in a community known for Vedic learning.
Even at a young age, Shastry showed a remarkable
skill in learning the Vedas, the Upanishads and other
sacred lore. Before he was forty, he had mastered
most of the Vedas, the Vedangas, Classical Sanskrit,
German, French and a few more foreign languages.
In addition, he had learnt how to decipher several
Oriental scripts.
Shastry was a devoted and sincere librarian in the
Oriental Library. Even though the job of dealing with
ancient manuscripts, most of which in torn conditions
and quite dusty, was difficult, risky and monotonous,
he was dedicated to his job and took pleasure in his
work. One day, sometime in 1905, he picked up some
palm leaf manuscripts and on keen examination,
was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was
‘Arthashastra’ of Kautilya. Examining it from several
angles, Shastry was convinced that it was a genuine
work of Kautilya.

In his introduction to the book written in 1909,
Shastry says that he was convinced beyond doubt that
Kautilya’s genuine work was a literary classic of the
ancient world. It did not take long for the discovery
to get publicity. Rudrapatnam Shamashastry became
a celebrity. Scholars and academicians the world
over started congratulating him for having ushered
in a new era in Indian administration and statecraft
by discovering Kautilya’s masterpiece. Eminent
educationists and historians of the day literally vied
with each other in inviting Shamashastry to their
universities, honouring him and getting the benefit of
the new discovery.
Shamashastry met Mahatma Gandhi in 1927 when he
was camping at the Nandi Hills and presented him with
a copy of ‘Arthashastra’. Gandhiji was immensely
pleased with his rare contribution to Indian polity and
congratulated him. Rabindranath Tagore was all praise
for the new discovery. The Washington University
awarded a Doctorate to Shastry and the Royal Asiatic
Society its Fellowship. The Government of India
gave him the title ‘Mahamahopadhyaya’ , a rare and
coveted honour to an Oriental scholar.
Dr Asutosh Mukherji, the renowned educationist of
the 20th century and five times Vice Chancellor of the
Calcutta University, invited Shamashastry to deliver a
series of ten lectures in 1919 under the auspices of the
Calcutta University.
These lectures under the title ‘Evolution of Indian
Polity,’ were subsequently published in Mysore
under the title, ‘Kautilya’s Arthashastra’, with an
introduction by British Historian J.F. Fleet. Fleet
says: “We are, and shall always remain, under a great
obligation to Shamashastry for the most important
addition to our means of studying the General History
of ancient India”.
The Maharaja of Mysore once visited Germany
for delivering a talk at the invitation of a German
institution. After the lecture, a German gentleman
approached His Highness and asked “Your Majesty,
are you the Maharaja of Mysore where lives Dr
Shamashastry, the discoverer of Arthashastra?” The
Maharaja was pleasantly pleased that one of his own
subjects was well-known in far off Germany.
On his return, he sent for Dr Shamashastry and said:
“In Mysore State we are the Maharaja and you are
the subject. But in Germany, you are the Master and
people recognise us by Your name and fame”. The
Maharaja awarded him with the title, “Arthashastra
Visharada’ during the Dasara celebrations of 1926.
Shamashastry who passed away in 1944 was an
extremely simple man with deep religious habits.
Humility was his hallmark and he was always ready to
help youngsters to come up in life. Western scholars
had always argued that ancient India had learnt the
art of administration from the Greeks ever since they
came into contact with Greeks with the invasion of
Alexander. But Shamashastry had proved them all
wrong with his discovery of Arthashastra and showed
how even the British had adopted some of the features
contained in the treatise for their administration.
On the occasion of the Centenary Year (2009) of the
publication of Kautilya’s Arthashastra, let us salute
this discoverer of the 20th century, Dr Rudrapatnam
Shamashastry!
Source: Bhavan’s Journal, December 31, 2009

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Gandhigiri: Satyagraha after Hundred Years
In a time ravaged by large scale violence and
unending terror where nothing seems more
promising and urgent than to be reminded of
another possibility: the path of non-violent struggle
for justice exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi
continues to be the subject of enduring relevance and
interest as it is evident in the interest and passion
generated by popular movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai.
Gandhigiri is gradually entering into popular
imagination and academic discourses. His writings,
running into more than one hundred volumes contains
wide range of views on different issues. In the nearly
six decades since his death a large and diverse range
of writings—comparative, expository, biographical,
hagiographical and dialogical—has appeared on
Gandhi.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, described variously
as the ‘father of the nation’, ‘Mahatma’, ‘apostle
of non-violence”, and then disparagingly by his
detractors as ‘the half-naked fakir”, Mr Gandhi as
Jinnah insisted and later ‘Maulana Gandhi’ as the
Hindu right sneeringly called him instead of Mahatma,
was quite simply addressed as ‘Bapu’ by his followers.
He devoted his life to truth, non-violence and the
promotion of communal harmony. Ironically, he fell
to the bullet of an assassin—a violent death at the
hands of a Hindu Fundamentalist man who harboured
hatred and malice.
The life of Mahatma Gandhi is abundantly
documented; perhaps no life in any period has been
more so. Certainly it was an extraordinary life, fusing,
as it did, ancient Hindu religion and culture and
modern revolutionary ideas about politics and society.
There are at present about four hundred biographies
of Gandhi, yet, as Jawaharlal Nehru once observed
“no man can write a real life of Gandhi, unless he
is as big as Gandhi.” In Nehru’s view, the best that
anyone could hope to do was to conjure up some
pictures of that life: “Many pictures rise in my mind
of this man, whose eyes were often full of laughter
and yet were pools of infinite sadness. But the picture
that is dominant and most significant is as I saw him
marching, staff in hand, to Dandi on the Salt March
in 1930; here was the pilgrim on his quest of truth,
quiet, peaceful, determined and fearless, who would
continue the quest and pilgrimage, regardless of
consequences.” Leaving aside the riddle of who but
Gandhi could write his “real life,” the writer’s task
would have to be to discover and truthfully portray the
heroic but human pilgrim amid the myths that began
proliferating around him when he started his quest and
that have inevitably become more numerous because
-B.N. Ray*
the quest ended in martyrdom. In fact, the very core
of Gandhi’s thought, presented and developed in
tens of thousands of his writings and speeches—his
search for God through celibacy and cleanliness,
through mastery of all human needs and functions,
mental and bodily, and through insistence on personal
hygiene and public sanitation—has been obscured by
mythologies fearful of debasing and sensationalizing
their martyred hero. Perhaps because Indians rely for
information more on the spoken than on the written
word, and because they still live close to the soil.
There is need to explore the contemporary meaning
of Gandhi’s life and work—both his stupendous
contributions in terms of making and remaking the
world he lived in and his own strong sense of tragedy
and trauma where he found he had failed to live up
to his own expectations on matters that were close
to his heart and to his sense of purpose and meaning
in life. These are to be seen not merely as events or
encounters during his own lifetime but also in the
context of today’s challenges and failures of the
human enterprise, both building on what he has left
behind and building a new edifice, struggling our way
through the maze of ambivalences that seem to be out
now and in the years and decades that lie ahead. For
we do face, as individuals and peoples and the world
at large, as a planet and a cosmos, now and in the
years and decades to come beyond which it is difficult
to prognosticate, a highly uncertain future, in many
ways going downhill yet somehow trying to keep hope
alive while knowing fully well the depth of the crisis
facing humanity. For, it is only through a major act
of imagination backed by sustained experimentation
through which new stirrings of both conscience and
consciousness take place that the proverbial candle of
hope can be generated. As the French philosopher and
ecologist, Jacques Ellul has said, it is only at a time
of abandonment and anguish that the need for hope

arises, indeed becomes imperative. In Gandhi’s
life there were many moments of abandonment,
both by his colleagues and compatriots but more
by the high expectations that he had set out for
himself and for those who cared to journey with
him in search for truth and steadfastness. But
while at some points he was full of remorse and
a deep sense of failure, at no point did he give
up putting up a valiant struggle for the values he
stood for.
It was through this combination of transparency
about one’s travails, trials, and tabulations
as well as of interventions through ceaseless
“experiments” and by sharing them with
one’s fellow-beings through a unique style of
communication that Gandhi was able to relate to
the world he lived in and in the process seek to
remake it that his singular contribution lay, and
it is precisely in this respect that the world we
are contemporaneously placed in is found to be
deeply lacking. Hence the crisis of accountability
on the one hand and a deep sense of alienation
and anomie on the other. The world we live in is
one characterized by an all-round decline in the
democratic spirit and its moral basis—even while
so many nations adopt an apparently democratic
form of government—and one in which national and
international elites are increasingly living in fear and
insecurity, surrounding themselves with a massive
apparatus of security, separating them from their
own peoples, sharply reducing a sense of identity and
community with them, not to speak of love for one’s
fellow beings and service of them based on love on
which Gandhi laid so much stress.
Gandhi was and remains a communicator par
excellance, making his presence felt far and wide, in
his own country and beyond, a kind of village bard
writ large over the expanse of the whole of human
civilization, utilizing an idiom and a language that he
himself created, cutting across the divides of cultures,
of tradition and modernity, reinterpreting both and
producing a new cross-fertilization across them. And
he has not ceased to do so almost half a century after
he physically left us, and today also in a language
and idiom that is unique and characteristically his
own which many of us are still trying to decipher and
deconstruct, especially of late when he seems to be
looking once again at us with his uncanny, piercing
eyes, from behind his daunting pair of spectacles.
Whereas Gandhi himself strove, both in his
fundamental thinking and in his activist encounters
with reality, to wrestle simultaneously with larger
civilizational and cosmic challenges and the hereand-now
issues that were crying out for response and
resolution, I think it would be a mistake on our part
to accept or dismiss him merely on the basis of the
immediate issues he faced, sought his best to deal
with and, as with many other great men and women,
ultimately failed to resolve. Perhaps the real task lies
elsewhere: trying to grapple with the immediate both
in the present and at same time by seeking to change
the contours of the same at large, of the cultural and
civilizational encounters engulfing its journey through
time, through which alone, in the final analysis, the
mundane and the immediate issues could be effectively
dealt with. Without changing the former, the handling
of the latter would remain too adhocism and unable to
hold against the diverse currents sweeping humanity.
Even if these latter temporarily produce “solutions,”
these cannot last for long and will recur once again,
perhaps in more vicious forms. This was the import of
Gandhi’s holistic and unified approach. Towards the
end, he felt he failed to carry through his mission in
life. But, then, that is the whole charm and meaning
of the great moulders of the modern world—as indeed
was in the ages gone by and especially of those who
do not accept the world as it existed and were seeking
ways of refashioning it after a new yearning for both
comprehension and change and a new vision and idea
of the world as it should be. If in the process they
“fail” to solve problems of an immediate kind, it only
underscores tenacity of certain kinds of problems,
reflecting the persisting paradoxes and traumas that
inform the human enterprise even while struggling
to keep hope alive straining one’s utmost to face up
the many tests and trials that continue to beseech that
enterprise—then, now, and in the times that lie ahead.
In the years to come, and may be right into the next
millennium—as it unfolds this state of affairs is

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
likely to continue—a litany of unresolved problems
because of the failure to deal with the deeper social
and intellectual causes to many of which Gandhi
tried to draw the attention of his fellowmen at home
and in the world at large. His overall effort was at
once as a thinker and as an activist and through
that combination as one trying to change the world.
Gandhi—and what he thought and taught and debated
with his contemporaries—were at bottom intellectual
and philosophical matters. He dwelt deep into the
human enterprise and on that basis transcended
categories of time, space, and various other divides.
It is for this reason that he today once again is gaining
in resonance after having been forgotten for so long.
It is in the context of this timelessness of Gandhi that
we have to understand his relevance for all times and
ages. He himself suffered from a deep sense of guilt
and anguish for having “failed” on matters he had
identified himself with during his life’s journey for
“truth”. While we too can and must pass judgements
on this journey of his—which still continues in our
own time and is still available like an open book to us
all—and while we should chart our own path suited to
the call of our own time, and the times that lie ahead,
we could also, in so doing, benefit from the thoughts
and lessons left behind from his journey in his own
time. As in many ways those lessons have a bearing
on the challenges emerging before us, we could think
of joining him on his unfinished journey.
The portrait of Gandhi emerges slowly from the timid
and somewhat cowardly Kathiawari childhood, the
awkward years as a student in England, the growing
confidence as a lawyer in South Africa, a self-assurance
that ironically emerged from his humiliation, and his
emergence as a leader in India. Gandhi is our only
serving national icon, even though our reverence for
him is confined mainly to the ritualistic celebration of
the birth and death anniversaries. Many idolize Gandhi
even today and consider him as one of the tallest
men to have visited this earth. But it is a historical
necessity to reappraise, reinterpret and reevaluate
once in a while every great movement, every great
leader, to assess their contemporary relevance. This
portrayal of Gandhi’s ideas will be useful for those
who would like to explore his tactics, experiment with
them, perhaps adopt them as their own. It might also
be valuable to those who want to compare Gandhi’s
ideas with other forms of conflict resolution and social
action. Perhaps it will also be useful to those who are
determined to rebuke Gandhi and prove him wrong.
Gandhi would have approved of all of these purposes.
For if one follows Gandhi’s own advice, nothing
should go unchallenged—not even Gandhian concepts.
In order to understand Gandhi’s way of fighting,
therefore, we will eventually have to fight a bit with
him ourselves.
Gandhians, as well as non-Gandhians, are divided
on what constitutes “the true Gandhi” and the
true Gandhian approach to political reality. Both
proponents and opponents often appeal to an essential
decontextualized Gandhi, usually identified with a
rather clear, static, and rigid political approach, and then
disagree on whether this essential Gandhi is relevant or
irrelevant to contemporary political development. Not
only was Gandhi’s political thinking flexible, eclectic,
and at times contradictory, but our attempts at relating
Gandhi’s approach to contemporary political thinking
always involve a dynamic process of contestation with
the reinterpretation, reconstruction, and development
of diverse Gandhian positions. Looking to the nature
and vastness of the Gandhian crusade, it may seem
inappropriate to describe it as a ‘failure’ despite all
its shortcomings. Rabindranath Tagore may have been
right in his comments that Gandhi will not succeed.
Perhaps he will fail as the Buddha failed and as Christ
failed to wean men from their inequities, but he will
always be remembered as one who made his life a
lesson for all ages to come.
Gandhi was not a preacher, but a doer. He engaged
in political activity with the objective of achieving
specific goals. He believed that every age has its
yugadharma, and the dharma of his age was politics.
His singular aim in life was to attain moksha, and he
firmly believed that his moksha lay in the practice
of politics. He did not attach any importance to his
speeches and sermons, and said, ‘As a matter of fact
my writings shall be cremated with my body. What I
have done will endure, not what I have said or written.’
When he said, ‘My life is my message,’ he meant that
he had delivered his message through his praxis.
The field of Gandhigiri is vast, and Gandhi’s life and
ideas explored are so minute. Gandhi’s life was his
message by collapsing the divide between the political
and the religious. “Gandhi’s struggle is not merely
political. It is religious and therefore quite pure.”
Every generation reexamines the past, trying
to understand it anew. It may be a difference in
perspective, or the knowledge of new facts which
alter the picture—sometimes superficially, sometimes
totally. India today is clearly reassessing the legacy
of Gandhi, and his continuing relevance. That is as it
should be.
*Ramjas College, University of Delhi
Source: Excerpts from Preface of his Book, Gandhigiri:
Satyagraha after Hundred Years, Kaveri Books, New Delhi

Why is India still neglected in Australian thinking,
both at popular level as well as academic, when
its rising industrial power and global clout are
beginning to equal that of China which so dominates
Australia’s future policy projections? And why is the
vast majority of Indians so ignorant of the rapidly
changing nature and increasingly sophisticated
attitudes of cosmopolitan Australia? Misconceptions
abound on both sides despite a very familiar cricket
fraternity: a common English language and mutually
inherited colonial institutions in law, education, health
and federal parliamentary democracy are equally
important links.
The imperial umbrella of the British Raj provided the
two colonial cousins with a common approach from
a distant Mother Country. The one being superiority
in racial attitudes to India’s culture, the other social
superiority to a convict society. Even earlier but
a matter of academic controversy is the possible
encounter between Aboriginal First Australians and
those still lively tribal peoples such as the Gonds
of eastern India and the Tamils of the south. Recent
arrivals of illegal boat people on Australia’s northwest
coastal reefs, floating in on strong Indian currents has
again opened up that question. This research over a
long period of time both in state library archives, on
the spot interviews all over Australia with a variety of
people who were linked in one way or another between
the two countries; and to-ing and fro-ing between all
three countries prompted the two authors to document
not only an insightful relationship of their own (
having enjoyed homes in Britain, India and Australia)
but those also of governmental, political, sporting,
business connections that unfolded at times from
undocumented material or long forgotten personal
diaries and records. Surely then there is already a
solid and lengthy foundation - indeed from 1788
onwards when food from Calcutta and exchange of
letters between governors was essential for survival -
for Australia and India to build even stronger natural
ties, especially in today’s complex global world.
Economic imperatives have indeed forced Australia to
accept its natural environment of influence and trade
which did exist in the earliest relationship until Anglo/
Celtic shutters slammed down on Asian neighbours in
1901 with Federation. The threat of ‘cheap Asian labor’
shouted from the political hustling had its effects. At
last it is now taking note of its eastern neighborhood.
Some scant knowledge remains of horses, the famous
Walers being shipped out of Victoria and Western
Australia for the Indian cavalry and polo-playing
princely kingdoms; jarrah logs exported for the sudden
Indo Aussie Links - Peggy Holroyd*
e x p a n s i o n
of the Raj
communication
railway system
after the
1857 Sepoy
Rebellion (The
Mutiny).
Many other
links were
created in the
first decades
- the first
export from
the new colony
to Calcutta was cedar logs from New South Wales.
Exchange of governors, army contingents, large
Victorian families off-loaded sons into the Indian
Civil Service and as British Army soldiers and
administrators and business people, while one other
would be detailed to pioneer land in Australia or
survive as a jackaroo. Governesses for princely
families and who guarded fabulous treasure at
flamboyant weddings to prevent theft.They also
taught miserly nizams ballroom dancing. Then there
were the British soldiers sweltering in Calcutta jails
for their misdemeanors seeking permission from
the authorities to be transferred to Sydney’s convict
quarters — superior by far! Houghtons vineyards;
servants turned into stone masons for some of our
heritage buildings, shepherds in South Australia,
cameleers - Pathans and Baluchis from British India’s
North West Frontier provinces, their camels padding
down the fragile pindan earth to become the future
roads across the outback. All contributed to Australia’s
uncommon history of Asian encounter.
There are even humorous records from Aboriginal
mobs of initial impressions of the turbaned men in
their midst. And what of Bengal Rum, a component of
the Aussie love of grog right from the very beginning?
And of Austral-India appearing on early maps?
*Peggy Holroyd AM lived in New Delhi soon after
independence in 1947, and has returned to India
inumerable times. She is the author of Indian Music,
East Comes West: Social Change amongst Asian
families in England and An ABC of Indian Culture.
Her latest book is Colonial Cousins: A surprising
history of connections between India and Australia
written jointly with Joyce Westrip.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Jaydrath Vadh, the epic poetry by the great Indian poet
(Hindi) Maithili Sharan Gupt, narrating one of the most
significant episodes of Mahabharata
A Marvellous solo enactment by Chander Mohan Khanna in Australia
(Melbourne and Sydney)
1½ hour enactment hosted by India Club at a Community Hall, West Pennant Hills
3 hour enactment hosted by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia and Voice of India (Monika Geet Mala) at the
Webster Theatre University of Sydney on 13 April 2010

His Profile
Chander Mohan Khanna began working on stage on 15th August 1968.
In 1972, after completing his graduation in commerce, he joined the
prestigious acting course in the Film and Television Institute of India,
Pune (FTII). In 1974, he completed his diploma in acting from the
FTII and started working in Hindi feature films.
His list of films include:
Tere Pyaar Mein, Golmaal, Naram Garam, Achha Bura, Jhoothi,
Hum Tere Aashiq Hain, Hum Bachche Hindustan Ke (Lead actor,
Writer and Director), Vishnu Deva, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman,
Neal n Nikki
His directorial debut film, Hum Bachche Hindustan Ke was India’s
official entry to the Moscow Film Festival in the children’s film
category.
He has written, produced and directed documentaries on HIV/AIDS, family planning and family welfare subjects.
All his films have been approved by the Health Ministry of the Government of India.
He prominent TV serials include:
Paying Guest, Ujale Ki Oa, Parampara, Asha Ki Kiran, Hello Dollie, Doctor Se Pehle, Yaadein, He has
also acted in over 60 ad films.
• He has acted in the following plays:
Paagal khaana, Trisanga, Help desk, Black With Equal, The Merchants of Bollywood (700 shows)
His 3 hours long solo enactment of the epic poetry Jaydrath Vadh - a historic piece by the great Indian poet
Maithili Sharan Gupt, narrating an episode of the Mahabharata, is gaining rave reviews from theatre goers and
critics all over India.
For the last 42 years, he has also been treating people with stomach problems and back problems with Acupressure
Therapy, and also Magneto Therapy for almost 20 years now.
Queen’s Baton Relay in Australia 19 April - 21 April 2010
The Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Parramatta (9:15am) on Monday 19 April and will be
welcomed to the city with a special event in Harris Park
before being carried by a number of sporting stars to its
civic welcome at Parramatta Town Hall. Both sites will
feature a program of exciting music and dance entertainment
to entertain the anticipated crowds.
The Baton will depart Parramatta on a ferry to Arrive at
Sydney Opera House (approx 1:15pm) The baton will be
welcomed by a special event organised by the Department of
Premier and Cabinet.
Baton will arrive in Melbourne on 20 April 2010 where it will be greeted by a special event
at Federation Square by the City of Melbourne commencing at approx. 12:30pm. activities
include a free public event for schools and athletes
Baton will arrive in Brisbane on 21 April 2010 where it will make school visits before
proceeding to a function by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. The Baton will also travel to Gold
Coast where celebrations will be held at Southport Broadwater Parklands.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Mahatma Gandhi:
The Sole Hope and Alternative
-C. Subramaniam
Mahatma Gandhi led us to freedom through
a unique non-violent “weaponless war”—
Satyagraha. Gandhiji consecrated his
whole life and work to the service of his people.
His appeal was to the conscience of man. He never
whipped up hatred in the name of caste, creed,
region, religion, economic and social disparities, and
even narrow nationalism. He was an angel of peace
and harmony. He was inspired in all his activities
by compassion and love. His focus was not merely
confined to the negative virtue of non-violence; it
encompassed service to the sick and the suffering, the
poor and the downtrodden, the lowly and the lost—
daridranaryanas. He considered all men and women
the world over as his kinsfolk.
Gandhiji was a devoutly religious man. He had a
deep understanding of the essentials of Hinduism,
Islam, Christianity, Zorashtrianism, Buddhism and
Jainism. These religions shaped his spiritual outlook.
Thinkers like Ruskin, Tolstoy and Thoreau also
greately influenced him. Like Swami Vivekananda,
Gandhiji passionately believed in the essential unity
of all religions. Like Paramahamsa Sri Ramakrishna,
Gandhiji worked for and lived Sarva Dharma Maitri—
Inter-Faith Harmony. Nay, he sacrificed his life for
this ideal. Gandhiji is the Sage of the Scientific Age.
He repeatedly warned against the indiscriminate use
of science and technology in the name of progress.
His warnings have come true in the degradation of our
environment becoming a stronger enemy of mankind
than even atomic weapons. The Global conference
at Rio de Janeiro has demonstrated the relevance of
Gandhiji more than ever. After practising law for a
few years in India, Gandhiji went to South Africa on
professional work. It was here he encountered the
worst aspects of racialism—the inhuman, degrading
and debasing features of apartheid. He pioneered a
movement to resist and eradicate this evil and, in the
process, evolved the technique of Satyagraha, which he
later on used with miraculous effect in piloting India to
the Promised Land of Freedom, and in levelling down
age-old social and economic disparities. Mahatmaji’s
personal example of simplicity and sacrifice had
a great impact on all sections of Indian people—
particularly the teeming masses. During the three
decades of his unique leadership of our Pilgrimage
to Freedom, he continued to interact with the outside
world. He was not merely fighting for the freedom of
the Indian people but also for the emancipation of the
depressed and the oppressed the world over. Indeed
he was a Vishwa
Manava, a Citizen
of the world, and
practised India’s
Vedic ideal that
the world is One
Family, Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam.
We are now
s u r r o u n d e d
by growing
i n d i s c i p l i n e ,
violence and
corruption in our
individual, social,
institutional and
national life. It has
assumed alarming
proportions. All of us who love Bharat and Bharatiya
Samskriti should deeply pause and betime evolve
steps to effectively adopt the Gandhian approach
to bring about probity in public life. Gandhiji is
the authentic symbol of Indian Culture—Sanatana
Dharma. His allegiance, uncompromising allegiance,
was to the Majesty of the Moral Law. Gandhiii’s
spirit is still alive. His life and teachings will be
ever relevant. He continues to influence national
politics and international relations. We are witness
to the exhilarating unfoldment of this phenomenon
in the crisis-and-violence-ridden South Africa, Israel,
Middle East and Germany. The relevance of the Indian
Way, as pointed out by Dr Arnold Toynbee, the great
Historian, is becoming increasingly evident in the
world today:
“It is already becoming clear that a chapter
which had a Western beginning will have to have
an Indian ending if it is not to end in the selfdestruction
of the human race ... At this supremely
dangerous moment in human history, the only way
of salvation for mankind is the Indian way—Emperor
Ashok’s and Mahatma Gandhi’s principle
of non-violence and Sri Ramakrishna’s testimony
to the harmony of religions. Here we have an
attitude and spirit that can make it possible for
the human race to grow together into a single
family—and, in the Atomic age, this is the only
alternative to destroying ourselves.”
Source: Foreword, Mahatma Gandhi: The Sole Hope and
Alternative, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

The Birth of Shiva
Bhavan’s Children Section
Brahma listened carefully, as Lord Krishna concluded “I
want to become the father of creation. But I live eternally
in the spiritual realm and do not directly touch the
material world. I will therefore soon appear in a new and
different form. Please, remember all I have taught you.”
Following Krishna’s advice, Brahma began his work.
From his mind, he produced four identical boys. Happy
to have these children, he said, “My dear sons, I shall
soon create some beautiful maidens. Please marry them
and have children, so that we can populate the universe.”
However, the eldest boy replied, “No, father, we will
not marry, for we wish to become monks,” Brahma was
furious. “How dare they disobey me!”, he thought. He
tried to control his rage, but it burst out from his forehead
as a blazing fire. Brahma looked on in amazement as his
anger took the form of a newborn baby. Brahma named
the infant ‘Shiva’. Did you know? Lord Shiva is often
shown sitting in meditation in the Himalayas. He holds a
trident and a small two-headed drum. In his coiled hair,
he wears the crescent moon and the sacred river Ganges, as it falls from heaven. Shiva’s carrier is Nandi the
bull. His most famous sons are Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, and Skanda, the god of war.
Shiva Marries Shakti
As Lord Shiva grew up, he began to consider, “How can I help the
souls who have left the spiritual world? They will need various
bodies to satisfy their unlimited desires. But how can such bodies
be produced?” Just at that moment, Goddess Lakshmi came from
Vaikuntha, and took the form of Shakti. She smiled at Shiva, and
said, “I am Mother Nature, and you are the Father. Shiva gladly
accepted Shakti as his wife, saying, “As Mother Nature, you will have
many faces. In the form of Goddess Parvati, you will be caring and
gentle. As Kali and Durga you will appear fearful and dangerous.”
Lord Brahma himself performed the magnificent wedding of Shiva
and Parvati. Did you know? The wedding of Shiva and Parvati is
still celebrated to this day as a spring festival. ‘Durga’ name means
‘prison’, indicating that it is difficult to escape this world. Goddess
Durga rides upon a ferocious lion and holds upraised weapons in her
many hands. Goddess Kali wears a garland of skulls, showing that
death is inevitable for all who enter the material world.

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Social Responsibility of Higher Education
Govind Ballabh Pant
Education is first and foremost a social process. Its aims and objectives
are intimately bound up with the needs and ideals of the society it is
to serve. An education out of tune with the needs of the society will be
atrophied by its lack of purpose.
Education in relation to society has a dual role; it should help to provide
the ideals of a new order and train the men and women who will bring
the practices of the community nearer those ideals.
For an under-developed country, such as India, which is engaged
in the reconstruction of its social order and in the development of a
higher potential in its economic and human resources, education is of
vital importance. Change, growth, progress-these are consequences of
pioneership, and it is the function of education to give us the pioneers
we need.
University education covers not only a crucial period in the life of
the individual scholar but also transmits through key points into the
economic and social organisation of the nation influences which can
be of decisive importance.
It however needs to be affirmed by public opinion that a University is
a place of learning, of social moral and spiritual development and that
a member of the University community as a student derives his title to
continue as such only by his participation in that function of the University.
From Bhavan’s Journal Dec 15 1959.
Reprinted in Bhavan’s Journal Dec 15 2009
If the University life is healthy, its libraries, lecture rooms, laboratories and playgrounds will be crowded and
not places of power in the students’ union or the governing bodies.
There should be no room for intrigue. According to the age-old traditions of our country, there has to be, on the
one side, complete dedication to the welfare of the student community and, on the other, faithful observance of
the orders and precepts of the University Authority combined with respect for the teachers.
My Master
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha
The passing away of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Sri Bharati Krishna Tirth of Govardhan Pith,
Puri, at a ripe old age of certainly above 80 years, has left a great void in the lives of so many of his personal
disciples, amongst whom I count myself as one. The world at large has lost a great saint, a great philosopher, a
great scholar, a great mathematician and, above all, a great ecclesiastical head of one of the four Pithas which
had been established in the four corners of India by the Adi Shankaracharya, many centuries ago.
During the restful time of his life, Guruji applied himself to research work and as a result of intensive research
for about eight years, he was able to solve the conundrums contained in the Appendices to the Atharva Veda,
which, on account of their cryptic sentences, were not intelligible to translators.
As a result of his researches into the Atharva Veda, Guruji discovered the sixteen principal sutras, which he
used to expound and on which he used to give lectures to learned bodies, like university teachers and students
of mathematics on the topic which he called “The wonders of Vedic Mathematics”.

Charter of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia
The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bhavan) is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political
Non Government Organisation (NGO). Bhavan has been playing a crucial role in
educational and cultural interactions in the world, holding aloft the best of Indian
traditions and at the same time meeting the needs of modernity and multiculturalism.
Bhavan’s ideal ‘is the whole world is but one family’ and its motto: ‘let noble thoughts
come to us from all sides’.
Like Bhavan’s other centres around the world, Bhavan Australia facilitates
intercultural activities and provides a forum for true understanding of Indian culture,
multiculturalism and foster closer cultural ties among individuals, Governments and
cultural institutions in Australia.
Bhavan Australia Charter derived from its constitution is:
To advance the education of the public in:
a) the cultures (both spiritual and temporal) of the world,
b) literature, music, the dance,
c) the arts,
d) languages of the world,
e) philosophies of the world.
To foster awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the continuing
development of multicultural society of Australia.
To foster understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity
of the Australian people of widely diverse heritages.
To edit, publish and issue books, journals and periodicals, documentaries in Sanskrit,
English and other languages, to promote the objects of the Bhavan or to impart or
further education as authorized.
To foster and undertake research studies in the areas of interest to Bhavan and to
print and publish the results of any research which is undertaken.
The Test of Bhavan’s Right to Exist
www.bhavanaustralia.org
The test of Bhavan’s right to exist is whether those who work for it in different spheres and in different places
and those who study in its many institutions can develop a sense of mission as would enable them to translate
the fundamental values, even in a small measure, into their individual life.
Creative vitality of a culture consists in this: whether the ‘best’ among those who belong to it, however small
their number, find self-fulfilment by living up to the fundamental values of our ageless culture.
It must be realised that the history of the world is a story of men who had faith in themselves and in their mission.
When an age does not produce men of such faith, its culture is on its way to extinction. The real strength of
the Bhavan, therefore, would lie not so much in the number of its buildings or institutions it conducts, nor in
the volume of its assets and budgets, nor even in its growing publication, cultural and educational activities.
It would lie in the character, humility, selflessness and dedicated work of its devoted workers, honorary and
stipendiary. They alone can release the regenerative influences, bringing into play the invisible pressure which
alone can transform human nature

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Holy & Wise
Ekam Sdvipra Bahudha Vadanti - That is one whom the learned call differently - Vedanta
The Sun is reddish at the time of rising so also at the time of setting. Those who are noble -great,
are uniform in prosperity as well as in adversity - Mahabharata
Prosperity has this property, it puffs up narrow souls, makes them imagine themselves high and
mighty, and looks down upon the world with contempt; but a truly noble and resolved spirit appears
greatest in distress, and then becomes more bright and conspicuous - Plutarch
Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soul - Heber
The renew of one duty done is the power to fulfill another - George Eliot
Ramachandra
Kulapativani
If there is one fascinating artist of life in history or mythology, he
is Sri Ramachandra. His art was superb. It has illumined centuries,
and if you read Vahniki’s story of his life again and again, you will
catch glimpses of this art. In his relations with his father, mother,
step-mother, tacher, brothers, wife, friends and enemies and subjects
he brought a sweetness, grace and purity which have no parallel in
biography or fiction. He was intensely human, and beautifully so.
Sri Ramachandra’s relations with Sita were wonderful, so human
and so sublime; an ethereal bond which transmuted sex-relation
into a thing of beauty, a beacon light to all who look to the sanctity
of home as the pivot of a perfect life. The popular notion that he
discarded her because a washerman criticised his conduct has no
foundation in fact. First, the whole incident does not find a place
in the original Ramayana. Secondly, when it does find a place in
the later additions to the work, it is different. Sri Ramachandra put
away Sita after a conflict of emotions in pursuit of an overriding duty as king to respect the wishes of his people.
By this act he added the last great touch to his art of living.
A king who serves his people has no personal life of his own. The demands of public confidence are inexorable.
Even modern Britain overruled her-king’s choice to marry the woman he loved, and removed him from the
throne when he preferred private happiness to public duty.
In Sri Ramachandra life as Valmiki has given it, every moment was inspired by the permanent values of Culture.
His was the Life Beautiful, which alone brings heaven on earth.
Dr K.M. Munshi
Founder Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

India Tourism, Sydney
Level 5, Glass House
135, King Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 02 9221 9555; Fax: 02 9221 9777